Code: Neptunia
by Silius1
Summary: After ASIC's defeat with the assistance of Senryaku, the CPUs, and her allies; Karen and her team have departed to form her new nation: Arcadia with the intention of gathering brilliant scientific minds to discover a way back to their original worlds. The first attempt to perform this ended up failing and making the process even tougher to achieve. The question now is: How long?
1. Code Neptunia: Prologue

Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, Yuuki, Mamoru, and Ophelia are playing a brand new VRMMOFPS called Gun Gale Online when they encounter a surprise beyond their comprehension. Will this new surprise forever separate Karen, Katsuo, Kana, Sylvia, Hikaru, and all of their friends once again?

* * *

Rated: AU Fiction T

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the words that I write and the characters that I create. Credit goes to the original creator of the SAO universe; credits also to the creators and contributors to the Hyperdimension Neptunia series._

Author Notes: If you want to understand this story fully, I would highly recommend reading my previous works.

* * *

Real Life Standard Time: [9:30] June 12th 2026

It's been a month since the Ragnarok tournament in Alfheim and the event members of Laughing Coffin led by Vusago tried killing myself and my friends while we were in virtual reality. Because of how I noticed that Kanemoto and Shinkawa weren't in the hospital that we were in when Vusago attacked, there are suspicions that Vusago left a group in reserve just in case. As a result of this suspicion, security is rather tight at this hospital. Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, Yuuki, and I were brought to this hospital by the VR Crime Division just in case Laughing Coffin tries to attack again.

After hearing from the nurses that the others are in GGO, I lay down in the hospital bed and activate my AmuSphere to create a character for me to use in Gun Gale Online. I'm constantly thankful that the activation sequence for the AmuSphere is the same as the NerveGear which allows me and my friends to easily adjust to the different hardware.

"Link Start!"

After activating the AmuSphere, I find myself in pure darkness until I see a menu, saying:

**Will you cross over a character from a different game or create a new character?**

I select 'Create a new avatar', since I want to keep Ashikaga, the new name of my Solaris avatar, in Alfheim. After selecting the create option, I'm brought into a special menu where I see 10 presets in front of me me.

**To select a Preset, simply walk into it. Upon selecting a preset, additional creation options will be available.**

I see that all ten of the presets are female; I conclude that it selected the ten presets available for women after scanning my mental wiring. I glance at the ten presets in front of me, numbered from 1 to 10 left to right across my vision. After looking at them all, I decide to choose number 7 since it has the exact same build as what I'm accustomed to-relatively thin, and not built with much muscle mass.

I then enter the character creator, which by default creates a mannequin that takes my real life form as a template. I decide to change things up by first changing my eyes to a dark red, lengthen my avatar's hair past the waist and I don't exactly want this avatar to look like the real me, like Ashikaga, so I change the hair color to a dark blue color and add glasses as a cosmetic change. The outfit appears to be a bluish-white colored dress with with a flower pattern in the upper torso and black stockings, with me deciding to name this avatar Asa. "Wow, it's hard to believe; this is the most feminine character I've ever made in an MMO. I just know that Ophelia's going to mock me when she sees me." I sigh a little, knowing that Ophelia's going to mock me over how I'm playing a feminine character when I usually always play male or tomboyish characters.

After accepting the character, I see this notice from the system:

* * *

"**Welcome to Gun Gale Online**"

* * *

I materialize under what appears to be a dome in the middle of a city. If I'm right, this place is called the SBC Glocken, which is the starting city for Gun Gale Online. I quickly notice that this is far more sci-fi than anything I have ever since in an MMO since everything appears to be made of metal. I notice that there isn't a lot of people around, which I guess simply means that this might be off-hours for this game. I walk around the area a little, taking good looks around the city and I come across what appears to be a tavern named Moon Shard. I remember that Mamoru told me, Katsuo, and Kazuto to meet him and the others here. When I enter the tavern, I quickly see that it's empty aside from three people, whom are sitting at the bar. I look toward the trio and quickly recognize them as Mamoru, Ophelia, and Yuuki. Although the more intricate parts of their appearance are different from their Cait Sith, Imp, and Spriggan fairy forms respectively; their colors and general appearances are the same when they crossed over their Alfheim avatars two weeks ago.

As I walk toward them, I can hear Yuuki talking to Ophelia, though I miss part of the conversation.

"-He always like this?" Yuuki inquires, glancing toward Mamoru who appears to be drinking.

"Based on what I've seen Zekken, unfortunately yes."

"Bugger off. We're waiting for our friends and I don't like lazing about. Besides, these things give EXP boosts, have some."

"Hell no!"

"Pulse, you are such a-" Yuuki tries to say before simply giving up with a groan.

"She has a point you know." Ophelia sighs deeply as she turns away from Mamoru and pulls out what seems to be an assault rifle and a magazine out of her inventory as she ejects one and puts in this new one. She then quickly notices me "Oh sorry, I didn't see you there."

"It's quite alright Yugana." I chuckle in a friendly manner looking toward her, Yuuki, and Mamoru.

"Lady Ashikaga, it's an honor." Mamoru says, failing to hold back a laugh as he calls me by my title as leader of the Imp faction in Alfheim.

"Shut it, jerk." I say sarcastically as I punch him in the arm, but I'm chuckling since I know that Mamoru usually is a jokester kind of person, but he has his moments of somberness, like what happened with Vusago, but it looks like he's back to his usual self.

"Karen? You're actually playing a feminine character for once." Ophelia giggles somewhat, mocking the character I made.

"Ophelia, stop. I'm not exactly in the mood for your mockery right now." I half lie here, since I _really_ don't want to hear Ophelia's mild criticism over how I'm deciding to play a truly feminine character this time.

* * *

Not long into our conversation, I see a female looking player with long black hair, pale skin, crimson lips, and black eyes approach us.

"I'm glad at least one of you kept your appearance from Alfheim; it'd be a little tough to tell who's who if we all made new characters." The female player says calmly, with me recognizing the voice of this person but the appearance is not something I could easily recognize.

"Kazuto, is that...you?" Ophelia asks in absolute disbelief.

"Yeah, why do you sound creeped out?"

"Kazuto..." I say before smirking, and outright laughing as I grip my stomach and bend over from the fierce laughing.

"Why are you laughing at me?!" Kazuto exclaims in a confused tone, and while I can barely see from my laughing fit, I can notice the others atleast chuckling over this.

"Okay...let me pull out a mirror." I say, laughing my butt off, desperately trying to maintain some degree of sanity.

I open my menu to pull out the mirror I was able to keep from Aincrad, and pass it to Kazuto. I guess that the mirror somehow was sent to my NerveGear's internal memory, and when Mamoru transferred everything to my AmuSphere, it apparently came with. I notice, with little surprise, that I don't have any other items or money aside from the other transferred item from my NerveGear's memory: M492. It was the item that allowed me to transform into a male swordsman with a skull mask, which I used in SAO's closed beta. Although doing this would give me access to a sword, I think, I really don't want to use close ranged combat in an MMO based around guns. That'd be outright suicide.

When Kazuto looks at himself, he gasps very loudly, clearly disturbed. I see another player approach us after hearing Kazuto nearly shout in utter revolt. This avatar has blue eyes, short amber hair, and is wearing dark green clothing with gold trims; his aura is almost identical to the Salamander General I've grown accustomed to: Yamakage.

"Katsuo, that you?" Yuuki asks the male player excitedly; she was quick to become close friends with Katsuo after the Ragnarok tournament last month and I'm surprised at how quickly Yuuki bonded with all of us to where it's like she's always been a part of our group, even during Aincrad when we were fighting with our lives on the line for three years.

"Yep, yoroshiku, I named this character Striker."

"I decided to name this character Asa." I say with a smile.

"Well, I heard there's a tournament in this MMO named Bullet of Bullets happening in about two days; I figure we should build up your levels so we can stand a chance, so let's go fight some monsters outside town." Yuuki says in her usual upbeat tone, though it fades to a degree when she speaks of the next part "We did a little research on our own and the avatar involved with this crisis is called 'Death Gun'. If he'll be anywhere, it'll be at Bullet of Bullets. We discovered that he's going after famous and powerful players. Anyone who's anyone in this world will be in that tournament."

"Let's head to a weapon shop first, we need weapons." Kazuto states in his usual tranquil tone, having apparently gotten over the shock of finding that his avatar looks feminine.

* * *

We go to the weapon shop in town, with Mamoru, Yuuki, and Ophelia showing the assault rifles they bought beforehand, though Ophelia's looks different for some reason, with her explaining that hers is meant for PvP. The fact that _Ophelia_ of all people is handling PVP surprises me more than I'll admit. Perhaps what happened last month with Vusago changed the way she thinks. While we're looking about, I see that Kazuto bought a 4.5mm FN Five Seven Handgun and a Kagemitsu G4 photon sword; I honestly am not surprised in the slightest at the fact that Kazuto bought a _sword_ in a MMOFPS. To my rather extreme irritation, Katsuo and I would've bought weapons, but we're broke in terms of money because of how we made new characters, we have no items, and according to Mamoru, Yuuki, and Ophelia, buying weapons in this game binds them to the purchaser. So we'll need to get the money elsewhere, since we can't trade because of these new, stupid restrictions-all because these characters are new to this game, differing from Kazuto's, Mamoru's, Yuuki's, and Ophelia's crossed over characters from Alfheim. Looks like Gun Gale Online means business when it hosts a wide window of 'Pro' players. These guys make money playing this game like how Katsuo, Keiko, and Hikaru do with the game that pays our rent.

Normally, transferring characters between MMOs erases all items except money, which merely rewords it depending on the name of the respective currency, but Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, and Ophelia transferred their items to Keiko, Sylvia, Kana, and Hikaru before they transferred to Gun Gale, and the three of us did the same thing a day ago, and they placed those items in special storages inside Grandum which allow us to keep items safe within Grandum's special hub which XANA made for us.

"Hmm, we'll need to go out to a dungeon or something to help Striker and Asa get money and or weapons." Yuuki says with a frown, obviously feeling sad that Katsuo and I are being limited simply for wanting new perspective after using the same powerful characters for 4 years now.

"Well, let's get going. We won't be getting stronger by sitting around on our butts here." Mamoru says, with his usual humorous tone being evident, though there is a degree of seriousness in his voice.

* * *

Real Life Standard Time: [10:30] June 12th 2026

We leave the city, Mamoru, Ophelia, and Yuuki in the lead carrying their assault rifles in hand and Kazuto behind me and Katsuo to guard our backs, with us keeping our formation spread out to prevent anyone from killing more than one of us with a single attack while also ensuring we can keep ourselves safe if we run into PVP squadrons.

"There's a low level dungeon not too far to the west, we'll head there to get you two some weapons." Mamoru says rather calmly, opening the menu and changing the setting of our squadron loot rule to open, which would allow any of us to take what monsters drop. "Here's how things will go guys. Striker and Asa get priority on loot, followed by Kirito, followed by us."

"Works for me. They are new while we've had a lot of time to prepare." Yuuki casually nods, knowing that she, Ophelia, and Mamoru have been here two weeks and had plenty of time and resources to professionally arm themselves.

Just as the clock in my field of vision turns to 10:30, I fall into a pit trap that suddenly opens in front of me.

"_AHH!_" I scream as I fall down the pitfall that suddenly opened from below me.

"Karen!" I hear the group shout in shock, voices already becoming distant.

After what feels like ten minutes of falling, I land on my rear end rather harshly.

"_Itai!_" I shout in simulated pain. "I'm just glad this this is a virtual world…in reality that could've killed me, or at the least caused permanent injury." I morosely say, dusting myself off before inspecting the area's environment.

"Karen! You okay?!" I hear the echoed voice from Yuuki.

"I'm alright! But I can't see any way to get back up this way!" I say, hoping the echo reaches them.

"We're going to jump down and help you! Just wait for us!" I hear from Katsuo.

I hear the others rapidly approaching with fast speed; I'm guessing they all jumped in through the pit trap that caught me off guard, so I leap forward to avoid being crushed by someone landing on me. I then hear five sets of rapid landings.

"I see you all came down at once...so now we're _all_ trapped." I say with a mildly irritated sigh. I don't know why they _all_ decided to leap into this pit, but its far too late to question it now. "What is this place anyway?" I ask, wondering where we are.

"Hmm..." Yuuki mumbles, looking around the dungeon before gasping "Um, guys...I think this is the Lucent Vault."

"Oh dear god, Yuuki, are you certain?!" Ophelia nearly shouted when she asked Yuuki this question.

"Well...based on what I've read in the dungeon list, Lucent Vault has a phantasmal affinity throughout the entire area, and look around."

"Shit, if this really is the Lucent Vault, we're screwed." Mamoru groans very irritably. Something about this 'Lucent Vault' is terrifying all three of these guys for some reason.

"What's wrong with you guys?" I ask, wondering why they're so freaked out.

"Karen, this is the strongest dungeon in this game. As far as I know, no one has been able to survive to the end."

"We don't exactly have a whole lot of options ahead of us. We're too far down to climb out so our only option is to press on. Mamoru, Yuuki, Ophelia, I want you guys ahead of us since you have weapons. Kazuto, stay near me and Katsuo and guard us if monsters get close." I sigh since we have no choice but to press onward through the dungeon.

* * *

We begin our march to find a way out of this damned dungeon. Mamoru, Yuuki, Kazuto, and Ophelia are the only ones able to fight until we make it half way through the dungeon, after fighting through eight rooms full of monsters. At the halfway mark, we encounter a large monster wielding a massive minigun, who fires at us, forcing us to take cover from the barrage.

"Get to cover!" I shout, dive bombing to the right alongside Mamoru and Ophelia; with Katsuo, Kazuto, and Yuuki doing the same to the left.

"Damn it! We can't step out to fight without getting blown to pieces!" Kazuto shouts angrily, barely missing some shrapnel from the minigun as he tried surveying the environment some.

"I suppose you all need my help." I hear a voice say from somewhere.

We look around to see an large open air vent in front of the room near us, and can see someone shadowed behind a large sniper rifle within.

"Who are you?" Ophelia asks the person in the vent.

"Sinon. I'm going to guess you all are new players; if so, you're all completely idiotic." Sinon says drily.

"Idiotic...how dare you!" Yuuki whips out in anger of being insulted.

"Quiet, I need concentration." Sinon says, looking through the sniper rifle's scope.

I can hear three shots being fired and when I stick my head out of the corner of the entrance and glance at the monster in the room, I see that they hit the monster's legs and right arm, causing it to drop the minigun it held.

"Now!" Sinon shouts to us.

"Move out!" I shout, stepping out of cover to attack the monster that kept us trapped, with the others rapidly following my lead.

"Got it!" Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, and Yuuki say in unison, spreading out to prevent any possible AoE skills and inflict damage in all possible areas.

The battle quickly evolves with Sinon sniping this monster at long range, Mamoru, Ophelia and Yuuki at a distance attacking from three different directions with their rifles, while Kazuto uses his Kagemitsu sword at point blank range. With all of our efforts combined, the monster falls after ten minutes of continuous heavy fire. After the monster is slain and Katsuo got a rifle from the open loot setting of our party, we look toward the place we were hiding at to see a player crawl out of the vent and walk toward us, carrying a large sniper rifle. This female player has pale blue hair and is wearing a desert colored military jacket, bulletproof armor, and combat boots.

"Thanks for helping us out, we're trying to get out of this place." I say with a bow.

"Well, sadly enough, it's going to take more than this. That was just the mid-boss and there's still the final boss to deal with. Speaking of which; I've been keeping an eye on you before you entered this place. Why would you enter a dungeon of this level when you're still so new?" Sinon says with a hint of frustration.

"I fell into a pitfall and ended up here, so my friends followed me in. And what level is this place supposed to be?"

"I see. But you clearly don't know the schedule of this dungeon. While it does randomly teleport every hour, it always give fair warning for players to avoid this place. The fact you survived this long surprises me more than I'll admit. But either way, come along; I'll lead you out." Sinon says, already walking further into the dungeon.

"What do you think? Should we trust her?" Mamoru asks me.

"We do need help getting out of here. Let's follow her for now." I say with a sigh, beckoning the group to advance and follow this Sinon.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a different dimension:

Two people are glancing at a globe showing the images of Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, Yuuki, and Sinon in combat against the monster they just fought and other spawn monsters, with Karen leading the group with strong strategies, impressing the fairy being.

"Histoire, are you sure these people are worth the power needed to bring them here? Don't forget that you spent a lot of that power manipulating the run-time of that dungeon." The female brunette asks the fairy like being, sitting on a white book.

"IF, I know you worry for our nation, but this is the only way. I thankfully did not have to exert as much power as I feared when I made a connection the artificial intelligence running the game, purposely manipulating things as much as I could to get this group here. While this is not the full team that I was hoping for, this group is very powerful and talented in many ways. They will be most useful in helping Neptune and the others." Histoire says seriously. "Now, go get Falcom and go to these coordinates. Wait for their arrival."

"Very well Histoire, if you claim these people can help, I'll put faith in them; not that I'm expecting much." The brunette says, walking away.

"Best of luck, IF. Gamindustri may very well depend on you, Falcom, and these heroes." Histoire says quietly, fearing the worst.

IF departs the Planeptune Basilicom to find a tall girl with short cut red hair, wearing a silver headband, blue and white clothing, with light orange-brown eyes, carrying a long guitar case leaning against the wall.

"Hello IF. Did Histoire say anything about what we're going to do now?" The girl says in a friendly tone.

"Ah, Falcom, good timing, now I don't need to track you down. Let's go, Histoire gave me the coordinates of where we need to go, we need to get there immediately and meet the people that will be arriving soon." IF says seriously.

"Shouldn't we get Compa? It'd be easier handling introductions if everyone planning to go is there." Falcom says calmly.

"Eh...you're probably right. Let's head to the clinic, get Compa, then go to these coordinates." IF slightly groans when Falcom brought up the person in question.

"Is something wrong IF?" Falcom inquires, wondering why IF sounds mildly depressed right now.

"I'm not eager about Compa coming with us. You know about what happened there. Compa's a civilian and not as battle-trained like you or me. She seriously shouldn't be coming with us."

"Then why don't you tell her this?"

"You know how stubborn that girl can get. I'd have better luck getting Neptune to do actual work." IF actually cracks a small smile thinking of this.

"Heh, you make a good point I guess. Compa can be very stubborn when she wants to be."

IF and Falcom walk to the nearby clinic to find a cream pink haired girl wearing a tan-white tank top, red plaid skirt, a black choker, and a black headband working in the area.

"Iffy! You came!" The girl says happily, running toward the duo.

"Yeah, I'm heading out soon to get the people that'll help us rescue Nep and the others."

"You're going to meet the people Histy was going to summon? I'm coming with you!" Compa says in the same tone.

"We were planning on that; well, Falcom was. Anyway, are you sure about this, Compa? I'm with the Guild, so I have to help; Falcom's a traveling heroine asked by Histoire to help, but you Compa...you're a civilian, you shouldn't be coming." IF states worriedly; considering that Compa is a childhood friend of IF's alongside how she doesn't any real combat experience, that gives the girl cause for concern.

"I'm not going to stay here while you throw yourself into danger, besides, Nep-Nep is still out there trapped in that horrible graveyard! When these people arrive, I'm going with you all so I can help Nep-Nep." Compa says with compassion and determination in her tone, refusing to be left out of this.

IF sighs and says "I know better than to try to stop you when you get determined. Get your gear, we're heading out now."

"Got it!" Compa says happily, grabbing her oversized syringe and heads out with IF and Falcom.

* * *

Karen's Dimension:

We follow Sinon through the dungeon, and she leads us through a few shortcuts, shaving off crucial time, though we do try to make a little bit of small-talk, with her taking the start to my minor surprise.

"Why are you guys here in this game anyway? You don't really strike me as the kind of people in this for the tournaments or this style of MMO." Sinon inquires with a cool as ice tone.

"We're here on business. Trying to find someone specifically." I say, trying to hide as much as I can about our mission.

"If it's someone famous, I can point you all in the right direction. Who are you looking for?"

"Death Gun."

After Kazuto said this rather seriously, Sinon stopped really abruptly, apparently shocked by what Kazuto said as she turns to face us all

"You guys are looking for Death Gun? Why are you looking for _him_ of all people?"

"Let's just say that we have personal interest in taking him down and leave it at that." Mamoru replies rather calmly, sharing the same interest of keeping things vague.

"No way, you are telling me everything _right now_." Sinon coldly says as she stares us down.

I look toward my friends, trying to decide on what course we should take "_What do you guys think we should do?_"

"_We can't let her get wrapped up in this. We need to handle this ourselves._"

"_Ophelia has a point. While I can't say the same about her and Yuuki, we need people who have no qualms about risking their lives. The VR Crime Division is protecting our bodies so no one would be able to get to us if this happens outside the game. If Sinon travels with us, she'll be made a target and if that fear I mentioned is reality, we can't protect her._" Mamoru says rather seriously, and his logic is tough to challenge.

"_But that's if Mamoru. She's pretty damn strong with that sniper. Besides, we can certainly keep her safe. And don't forget that there's always that chance that Death Gun could have already marked her as a target. If what is happening is like Aincrad, she'll be safer with us than on her own._" Katsuo interjects.

"_Katsuo, I can't believe you! This girl doesn't deserve to be forced into this!_" Kazuto shouts in a quiet manner, unable to believe what Katsuo is saying.

"_You guys do look for strong players right? She may be a bit rude, but she's certainly strong. Besides, I hear things and it's rare for someone to get a Hecate._" Yuuki says rather casually to us, and she has a point there: Senryaku always did keep an eye out for the best of the best.

"_Okay, you guys are taking this too seriously. How about we see what happens for now? We'll test her while we proceed this dungeon, alright?_"

After a simple nod in approval, we continue through the dungeon after we'll explain when we get out of the dungeon. We quickly find that the final boss appears to be a large steel juggernaut.

"Okay, this monster could be troublesome. Yugana, Zekken, Pulse, Striker, I want you four to spread out and attack the monster while Sinon lays down suppressing fire with her sniper rifle. Kirito, do what you do best." I say, my skill as strategist kicking in subconsciously, as I've been doing stuff like this since Aincrad.

"Why do you think I'd follow a strategy like that?" Sinon says rather angrily, confronting me on my plan.

"Got any other ideas, Miss Sniper?" I whip back angrily.

Sinon merely groans; I suspect she doesn't exactly have a solid plan right now.

"Sinon, we've worked with Asa for years. This strategy is one of her favorites and one of her most adaptable." Katsuo says proudly, confronting Sinon.

"Fine. I won't deny it's a decent strategy, but make sure that Juggernaut stays away from me. By the way, where's your weapon, Asa?"

"Don't have one. This is a new character. The character I usually use has been active for four years. I want a new perspective in this new game."

"Wow...wait, four years? The only way you could have played Virtual Reality MMOs that long is if..._Oh._" Sinon says quietly, apparently having learned of our background now.

"Aside from Zekken and Yugana, all of us were in Sword Art Online." Mamoru says with a smile.

"Wow...incredible, I never thought I'd get to meet actual SAO players. It's an honor. Too many of you don't play MMOs anymore, I guess that game was too traumatic for most of you." Sinon says, bowing in respect.

"Enough talk for now, let's defeat that boss!" I say seriously.

"Got it!" They say in unison, starting the plan.

* * *

Gamindustri Dimension:

"Well...this is where they should end up, now we just sit and wait. They'd better not keep us waiting too long though." IF says, slightly irritated at having to play the waiting game.

"IF, Compa, stay here. I'm going to see if these people we're waiting for are in the forest to the west of here." Falcom says seriously, walking west.

"W-Wait! Falcom!" IF shouts in defeat, as Falcom is already pretty far from camp.

"Iffy, do you know anything about these people we're waiting for?" Compa asks curiously.

"No, not...really, I was told by Histoire to wait out here for them, then bring them to Planeptune." IF says with a small sigh. "Histoire is risking just about everything on these people, they had better be worth it."

"Don't worry Iffy, if Histy is willing to risk so much, they must be worth the effort." Compa says happily.

"I hope so." IF says in a less than hopeful tone.

* * *

Real Life Standard Time: [11:45] June 12th 2026

With the Juggernaut boss defeated, both Katsuo and I have made it to level 30 from that single battle, so we'll stand a decent chance in any fight, though I'm still hopeless without a weapon.

"Wow, that was incredible, that was a very high level boss, and we killed it without any deaths on our side." Sinon says in utter surprise. "You certainly know your stuff, Asa." Sinon says with a smile.

"Comes with helping the clearers in SAO for three years, leading the grand quest clearing in Alfheim, and so on."

"Wait, you're Solaris of Aincrad?! My goodness...it's an honor to work with you." Sinon says, clearly awestruck.

"Come on, let's get out of this place." I say seriously. I don't want to stay in a dungeon all day.

We walk to the end of the dungeon to find a staircase behind a large pedestal holding a very large weapon.

"Holy...what is that?" Yuuki asks, awestruck.

"_That_ is the PGM Ultima Ratio Hecate II. It's one of the most powerful weapons in this world, alongside the fact it's a sniper rifle. It's what I'm using actually. Though...the design is different from what I have." Sinon says, apparently feeling a little confused when she looks at the weapon.

"Asa, you have the honors-you're the only one without a weapon, so you should take it." Mamoru says calmly.

"Thanks." I say, approaching the weapon in this pedestal, my companions in tow. I touch the weapon and I see a status window open in front of me, reading: 'PGM Ultima Ratio Hecate VI'. "Sinon, I think you're a little off. This window says it's called the Hecate Six." I say quietly.

"I guess that explains the different design. Maybe it changes design and name every time someone acquires a Hecate." Sinon says calmly.

"Hurry up, before we leave you both behind!" Yuuki says eagerly.

"Got it! Come on, let's go." I say, wishing Yuuki had given me more time, since Sinon seems to be coming around rather fast.

I grab the weapon and walk with the others up the staircase to the room which would bring us out of the dungeon. However, what I see after I exit the dungeon is...not what I anticipated.


	2. Chapter 1: Mission Start

Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, Ophelia, and Sinon are about to enter a world beyond their imagining. Will they be able to leave this brand new world and return to Earth? And if so, how long will it take? 3 years like Aincrad? 2 months like Alfheim? Or will it take much longer than Aincrad? Only time will tell.

* * *

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the words that I write and the characters that I create. Credit goes to the original creator of the SAO universe; credits also to the creators and contributors to the Hyperdimension Neptunia series._

* * *

The seven of us: Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, Yuuki, Sinon, and myself find ourselves in what appears to be expansive plains after we were enveloped in a bright light as we stepped on the teleport plate which would allow us to exit the dungeon. However, we were expecting to see the typical wasteland or desert, not...plains full of life.

"Sinon, is Gun Gale Online's environment supposed to be like this?" I ask curiously, wondering if I'm hallucinating or something from the environment I'm seeing.

"No, nothing like this is supposed to exist in this world, and...why do you all look so different?" Sinon asks curiously.

"Pardon?" I ask, before noticing a small river nearby.

I run toward the river to see the reflection of my real life self.

"_Nani?!_" I shout in surprise, falling on my rear end, not expecting my real life form to materialize in Gun Gale Online, or whatever this place is. I then quickly turn around to the rest of my group to see that their Earth appearances are visible just like mine. I look toward the two people I don't instantly recognize but after looking at them a bit, I quickly recognize Yuuki since her current appearance is identical to her virtual avatar, but the new girl really looks like a female Kazuto but with glasses.

"What's the matter?!" Mamoru asks, freaked out, before glancing toward Kazuto, Katsuo, and Ophelia.

"W-What's going on?! The AmuSphere shouldn't have the power to scan our entire body! Only the NerveGear was capable of that!" Ophelia shouts, seeing our true appearances, and looking around.

"Karen, you getting that same ominous feeling like the last few MMOs we've played?" Katsuo asks me worriedly, as I walk back to the group.

"Mhm" I say with a reluctant nod. I pray that it's not happening _again_. "Okay, let's get our guns out just in case." I say seriously, the group nodding in approval.

When we try opening our inventories through the method we're used to, nothing seems to happen, that is until Kazuto noticed the bracelets on our right arms. So we touch the bracelets and our weapons appear as rapid square pixels before materializing into different forms. I recognize my spear: Wandering Moon from Aincrad, Kazuto's Dark Repulser &amp; Elucidator, Mamoru's Gatekeeper, Katsuo's Onyx Shark and Titanium Heart though I see a sword and shield on his back as well, Yuuki's two swords she had from Alfheim, and Sinon's Hecate Sniper Rifle.

"Okay, this is just bizarre. We somehow were given our most powerful weapons during our time in MMOs." Mamoru says in mild shock. "And somehow...our real life forms are being made visible. This is… What's going on here?"

"This is definitely strange, but we have familiar weapons...that's something, at least." I say, trying to think of any potential bright sides, inadvertently activating the visor that would appear when I used Sleuth in Aincrad.

"Woah, Karen, you have your Sleuth Unique Skill! I haven't seen that thing in over a year!" Katsuo says awestruck.

"It's nostalgic having Sleuth back, it's one of the things that made me so strong in Aincrad. But the thing is, I'm looking at you all and it's not working. I don't think Sleuth works."

"Aw, you were famous in Aincrad partially because of Sleuth. But I digress… C'mon, let's get outta here." Mamoru says, nostalgia in his voice.

* * *

Chirper Events:

Lily Rank 2 – Sinon + Karen

"If I find that we're stuck in _yet another_ world, I am seriously going to be pissed. This'll be the third time, dammit!" I growl angrily.

"You have my sympathies, I didn't experience Aincrad, but it must've a difficult time for you all."

"Yeah. I honestly have no idea which one was worse; three years of imprisonment in Sword Art Online's death game, or two months in Alfheim Online's soul modification plan."

"If it's any consolation, at least we're all together. We just need to stick together and come up with a plan. We'll find a way out of this place. Lead the way and I'll follow."

* * *

Lily Rank 3 – Katsuo, Ophelia, Yuuki

"There are a couple things bugging me about this place. The first is: Why are our true physical forms are being shown here instead of our avatars? Second, _where_ the hell are we?!"

"Katsuo, try to take it easy. Flipping out won't help anyone."

"I know Yuuki, but still! I've been thrown into the pits of Yami at least three times now since Aincrad. Karen's one of the few reasons we've survived this long."

"You know Katsuo, I've been meaning to ask. What kind of relationship do you have with Karen? Do you possibly harbor feelings toward her?" Ophelia asks teasingly.

"What? No! I think of her only as a sister! Even if I were to humor this claim of yours and said I do have feelings for her, she's already with Hikaru and as his friend, I need to stay out of the date zone."

"A likely story." Ophelia says mockingly.

"Oh, go to hell." Katsuo mumbles angrily.

"You're not making a good case for yourself, Katsuo!" Yuuki says in the same tone as Ophelia.

"You two are infuriating!" Katsuo shouts, quickly getting fed up with this conversation.

"Oh no, he's getting mad! Let's run, Ophelia!" Yuuki says in a fake scared tone, sarcasm dripping in her tone, running away.

"Yeah, run before Katsuo gets even more furious." Ophelia says in a childlike manner, following Yuuki's lead.

Katsuo sighs when he sees this happening "Wow, Ophelia acts so different when Yuuki's around. I guess we all do in differing ways. I don't know whether to feel annoyed or glad of how Yuuki has quickly acclimatized with our group in both emotional bonds and physical strength. _Yuuki, you may be a pain in the neck sometimes, but you're still a good friend._"

Yuuki was close to hear Katsuo mutter the last part. "_I think the same way about yourself Katsuo._"

* * *

Back to story

* * *

POV: Shino

We wander through the area trying to find any degree of civilization if there is any, when we hear something that sounds like combat not too far away from where we currently are.

"Katsuo, follow me, fast!" Karen says seriously, running to the east.

"W-Wait up!" Katsuo says, running in the same direction.

"Karen! Katsuo!...Geez..." Ophelia shouts with a sigh in disbelief when they suddenly took off.

"This may be a bad time, but mind sharing names?" I ask nonchalantly, though the fact that those two took off is a little bit concerning, considering the seemingly chaotic state of the bonds between this group compared to the strong unity they showed back in that dungeon.

"Eh, I don't see why not. Name's Mamoru Nakasone."

"Ophelia Takara."

"Yuuki Konno."

"Kazuto Kirigaya."

"My name's Shino Asada."

"The two who took off are Karen Koizumi and Katsuo Viperia." Mamoru says with a sigh.

"Let's go after them, before we lose them!" Ophelia says in an irritated over how they just took off.

We then chase after Karen and Katsuo to make sure they don't get in danger.

* * *

POV: Karen + Katsuo

Katsuo and I ran east to find out what was going on, only to find some sort of mechanical network of floating platforms in the forest. We try following the sound of fighting when we see a girl with short red hair surrounded by three brown dragons, getting ready to kill the girl. The two of us draw our weapons to help the girl.

"Hey! You okay?!" I say in surprise to the girl.

"Travelers? I'll be okay, don't get involved." Falcom says in a surprisingly calm tone considering how she seems close to death.

"Screw that! I'm not going to let you fight these things alone and risk getting killed. Let us help!" Katsuo says angrily.

"Well, if you insist, I'd appreciate the help." Falcom says with a smile.

"What are these things anyway?!" I ask incredulously, having rarely seen such vicious looking monsters.

"These are Ancient Dragons. I came into the depths of Virtua Forest to find some travelers that were supposed to be in this area and bring them back with me" Falcom says calmly. "Sadly, I came across three of these powerful beasts, and I guess I got overeager." Falcom continues with a nervous chuckle.

"Who are these travelers? Maybe we could help you find them. After we deal with these Ancient Dragons, of course." I say compassionately.

"Many thanks." Falcom nods in my direction with a smile.

Katsuo faces down two of the dragons himself and fights them both with his sword, however, he doesn't seem to be dealing much damage, which quickly pisses him off.

"What the hell?! I'm barely making a dent on these things!" Katsuo growls angrily.

"You clearly have not fought here much. All monsters have a barrier that we call Guard Gauge. Until you break the barrier, they absorb nearly all damage. Thankfully, we humans have these barriers too because of the Goddess' protection. It's one of their passive powers." Falcom says calmly, resuming her fight against the remaining dragon as I do my best to help her.

* * *

POV: Mamoru

"Damn it. Where the hell are they?" I growl a little angrily.

"Uh, Mamoru...we have bigger issues at the moment." Yuuki mutters very fearfully, seeing a dozen dragons slowly approach us.

"Crap!" I shout nervously, before inspecting the environment to find a way out of this situation. I'm not exactly as good at leadership compared to the experience Karen has built up in Aincrad, but I know I can think of something "Over there! There's a side path! Fall back!" I state, trying to keep my fear in check before taking off to the side path with the others in tow.

We flee down the side path to circumvent the dragons and try to find a different route to meet up with Karen and Katsuo. We see a duo of girls, one a brunette and the other having cream pink hair, wandering down a path, seemingly from the entrance of this place.

"Let's ask those two if they've seen Karen and Katsuo." Kazuto says calmly, not wanting to stay here much longer.

We run toward the duo, who draw their weapons in response to our footsteps, but when they see we're human, they return their weapons. I'm guessing they assumed we were monsters about to ambush them or something considering how we saw those dragons earlier.

"Excuse me, but have you seen a girl with amber hair and a boy with brown hair? We got separated from them." Yuuki asks politely.

"You five...we were sent to find you!" IF says in shock.

"Come again? You came to find us specifically?" Ophelia asks in disbelief.

"Yeah, Histy told us to find you all and bring you to Planeptune. But you got separated?" Compa asks worriedly.

"Yeah, some of our friends heard fighting here in the area, so they came to find what was causing it." Ophelia says calmly.

"Let's travel together then. We came to find another companion of ours, she wanted to see if she could find you all around here, and I guess she was right." IF remarks rather calmly as I see her looking around the area "Okay, since you guys came from that direction and we came from this way, that's the only way they could've gone. Let's go."

"Yeah, let's find them, then we can find a way to get out of this place and return home." Shino says calmly, with her eagerness to return to Earth being rather obvious to us.

* * *

POV: Karen, Katsuo, Falcom

It was a pain but, we managed to kill a single dragon; but these things are driving me and Katsuo to exhaustion.

"Ugh, I'm reaching my limit. I am _really_ out of shape right now." I say, panting a little.

"Karen, get back if you're feeling weak." Katsuo says compassionately.

"Thanks, but I'd be safer in this battle than trying to fall back." I say proudly, glad that Katsuo still cares for my well-being after all these years. That just shows how strong our bonds are. But I know that if I try to run, I'd probably run into a monster and on my own; I don't want to think about it.

I see Katsuo and this girl each fighting a single one of these Ancient Dragons. Katsuo appears to be running himself ragged in his fight, while this girl seems perfectly calm.

"Actually, I never caught your name." Katsuo says, still fighting that dragon and trying to figure out how to deal lasting damage to these monsters.

"Falcom, I caught your friend's name, but what's yours?" Falcom says with a calm smile, fighting the dragon with a rather fancy sword.

"Katsuo."

"Pleased to meet you, Katsuo."

"Same to you Falcom, now let's-" Katsuo says with a smile, before explosions go off in front of them, and both dragons suddenly vanish.

We look around to see Mamoru and the others followed by two new people. I'm guessing Mamoru was responsible for those explosions as I see him putting his bow behind his back They all then rush toward me, Katsuo, and Falcom, with frowns on all of their faces.

"Karen, what you did was outright inexcusable!" Ophelia says angrily, calling me out on taking off, though the fact _she_ of all people said this surprises me.

"Ehehe...gomen gomen. But you really are starting to grow up Ophelia, you actually called me out on something like this. I'm proud of you." I say, feeling mixed sheepishness and pride.

"I suppose I have grown. But honestly, if you got yourself killed, I'd have hell to pay when I talked with your friends, especially Hikaru." Ophelia says seriously.

"Look, I'm not going to stop you from having discussions, but let's not have them here, we can have them in Planeptune. This forest is swarming with monsters." IF says bluntly.

"If you say so, then lead the way." Kazuto says nonchalantly, sharing IF's desire for uninterrupted dialogue.

"Let's go then." Falcom states calmly, leading the way out of the forest, seemingly completely unfazed and fine in terms of stamina despite how much fighting she's done compared to myself and Katsuo.

We all head out of the forest to find grasslands in every direction, a comforting sight after the hellish dungeon.

"Hey, um..." I say a tiny bit nervously to the brunette.

"What is it?" IF asks angrily, apparently wanting to return to Planeptune as soon as possible.

"I have two questions, one: What are your names? And why are these plains so peaceful when that forest was swarming with monsters?"

"Right, you're not from our world. I'll give the light version for now. My name is IF, my friend here is Compa, and you've met Falcom" IF states calmly, motioning to her colleagues in order. "And about the monsters; let me simply say: That's how Gamindustri works."

"Is that the name of this world? Gamindustri?" Mamoru asks curiously, and I notice Katsuo chuckle inaudibly at the name.

"Yeah, now that we're out of the forest, we ought to return to Planeptune; it's a two hour trek from here." IF says calmly.

We continue the trek and I see a large tower far in the distance after about an hour passes of walking.

"Wow...what is _that_?" I ask in surprise. I've never seen such a beautiful tower like that since Yggdrasil.

"That's Planeptune's Basilicom, our destination. Histoire will answer any of your questions when we arrive."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [13:30] June 12th 20XX

I activate the bracelet on my arm to open the menu to see it's about 1:30 right now, so we should make it to this Planeptune by 2:30 to 3:00 if we're lucky. I don't feel comfortable trusting this trio, but they did help us, so I'll give them the benefit of a doubt.

"_This world appears beautiful, but I can't stand being trapped in yet another world. Aincrad and Alfheim was bad enough; this time Katsuo and I are divided from Kana, Sylvia, Hikaru, and the others, possibly for good._" I say in my mind in a depressed tone.

"IF-san, I'm curious, why did this Histoire bring us all here?" Ophelia asks curiously, bringing me back to reality a little from how I was having a minor monologue in my head.

"We were able to get records of when you were in some place called Aincrad and watched recordings of your combat prowess. We were hoping to bring a team named...Senyaku or something like that." IF says calmly, before lightly stumbling as she tries to think of the name she heard at the end.

"Senyaku? Wait, do you mean Senryaku? That was what I named my group way back then." I ask in mild confusion, before figuring out what's she trying to say.

"Yeah, that." IF says with a quick nod.

"Katsuo and I were full members of that team, Kazuto and Mamoru were temporary back then though we like to consider them full members. But Ophelia, Yuuki, and Shino haven't exactly gone through as much as we have." I say with a degree of concern, filling IF in the details involving Senryaku.

"At least we have some of the people we're hoping for, I hope the rest of you are up to par." IF says bluntly.

"Hey! I find that highly offensive!" Yuuki whips out angrily, feeling highly insulted, with Ophelia and Shino sharing the very same sentiment.

"Listen to me carefully IF, insulting my friends will not earn my loyalty. Lay off or I won't help you." I growl angrily.

"Then _you_ can forget about ever getting back home." IF says with a mischievous smile, proud that she holds all the chips.

"Grr; I suspected something like this when we arrived." Katsuo snarls angrily, and I am just barely able to hold back my own desire to snarl at her practically blackmailing us.

"Iffy, don't be mean to them! We need their help to save Nep-Nep!" Compa says with a frown.

"Who's Nep-Nep?" I ask curiously, hearing such a name is a tad awkward "Is Nep-Nep a dog or a cat or something?"

"Okay; let me blunt, if this 'Nep-Nep' is a dog or cat, I am going to be extremely pissed!" Katsuo states angrily, and I can't blame him on this one.

"Nep is this nation's CPU, short for Console Patron Unit. They're called Goddesses, who essentially rule over the nation they found. Her real name is Neptune, but she hates going by that name by anyone except a few people, so she demands to be called by nicknames. Anyway, Nep and the other CPUs in Gamindustri were captured by an organization called the Arfoire Syndicate of International Crime, or ASIC, three years ago."

"Okay, so you want our help to save the CPUs?" Yuuki asks.

"More or less. We're getting a little desperate here, so we had to call for assistance from outside sources. Your Senryaku group was the best option we had." Falcom states calmly.

"To be honest, I have a question. What's with the computer and game references?" Shino asks.

"That's how Gamindustri works." IF says with a sigh.

I sigh and say "Is that the response to everything in this world? 'That's how Gamindustri works'?"

"Eh, pretty much. At least, to situations like this. It's a little bit irritating explaining this kind of thing." IF says, sighing again.

* * *

Chirper Events:

Lily Rank 1 – Karen + IF

"_Damn it._"

"Something up with you?" IF asks curiously.

"I have nothing specifically against you, per say, but I hate that the seven of us are trapped here. Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, and I already experienced three years of that sort of hell. Ophelia, Yuuki, and Shino never experienced such things. They shouldn't have to in the first place!"

"It's too late to complain about such things. If you help rescue Nep and the others, we'll send you back."

"For the oddest reason, I feel like we're going to be stuck here for a _long_ time." I groan, having played games that go along routes like this where if you're trapped in a different world and someone offers to help return you to your world, it never works out.

* * *

Lily Rank 4 – Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru

"This is like Aincrad all over again." I say with a light moan.

"Yeah. Why does things like this happen to us? We must be cursed." Katsuo says with a sigh.

"You must be if all these things happen to us. Of course, since Kazuto and I associated with you all, we must've been cursed as well!" Mamoru says with a sarcastic laugh.

"Mamoru, don't mess around right now." I say with a groan. I don't want to deal with this right now.

"Sorry Karen, but you can't exactly blame me for saying such things." Mamoru replies apologetically, having not wanted to irritate the girl, merely wanting to lighten the mood.

"Yeah. But I don't mind such things. Life is too boring if everything's calm. Though I don't like that we were separated from our friends and families by force. I wonder if we'll be able to reunite with Asuna, Suguha, and the others?" Kazuto jumps in with a mild smile before frowning sadly when thinking of Earth.

* * *

Back to story

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [15:00] June 12th 20XX

The ten of us: IF, Compa, Falcom, Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, Yuuki, Shino, and I arrive in Planeptune at long last when the three natives stop in front of us.

"Okay, we need to get to the Basilicom. But first, Compa, Falcom, and I need to get clothing for you all." IF says nonchalantly.

"There's a clothing store on the way, let's stop there." Falcom says casually.

We walk toward the tower and follow IF, Compa, and Falcom inside a rather large store with dozens, if not hundreds of different clothes on racks.

"Okay, pick out clothes you like and we'll cover them." IF says calmly, heading to the register with Compa and Falcom in tow.

"Okay, feel free to spread out and get clothing, I imagine we need to try to blend in among the crowds," I say, beginning to spread out away from everyone, knowing that we've gotten a lot of odd looks from the populace. We do need to stand out less in this strange new world.

I look through silver colored clothing to find only three decent outfits, and none of them are something I'd be interested in, so I look through violet clothing and find so many excellent outfits that would work for me. I grab a short-sleeved shirt colored violet, jeans colored blue with gold trims which is nearly identical to my look when I played Ashikaga, but the size is crazy small. When I mean small, I mean that I extremely doubt it'd even fit around my waist. This is bothering me because of how ideal this outfit is, yet the size is stopping me. I notice Compa nearby and I ask her a question.

"Hey, Compa. Why are these clothes so small?" I ask curiously.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." Compa says with a casual laugh.

"What do you mean?" I ask curiously.

"Clothes made in this world are enchanted to be a small size when not in use to maximize space available in inventories or closets." Compa explains this feature to me.

"I see. So if I were to wear this, it would become larger?" I ask curiously.

"Of course, it's enchanted to be a one size fits all." Compa says calmly, walking away. I guess she's going to tell the others of this.

I'm content with this outfit, so I bring it to the counter to purchase it, when I see IF near the counter. I don't see Falcom, so I guess she's helping Compa with informing us of the clothing thing.

"That what you want?" IF asks me.

"Sure, it's the best outfit I found." I say casually.

"Alright, hand it to me, I'll use my fund from the Guild to pay for it." IF says calmly, in a slightly bossy tone.

"Guild? I'll guess that's your work; but is it okay to use company money on stuff like this?" I ask, with a lot of my perception kicking in.

"Histoire's the boss of the Guild. If I explain the situation, she'll understand. Granted, she might not like it, but she'll understand." IF says casually. "Here, put it on," IF says, passing the outfit to me.

Before, I was only touching it through the clothes hanger holding them in shape, and when I passed it to IF, she held it on the same hanger.

"Okay, now that it's paid for, you can wear the clothing without problems. Try it out." IF says, passing the clothes to me.

I simply touch the clothes and they break down into pixels, and when I look at a nearby mirror, I see that the clothes are on me. The clothes are a perfect match, and they look very exotic and beautiful, with star patterns all over the outfit. I however quickly notice that my hair color changed from amber to a snowy white color.

"Sugoi!" I say happily; I've rarely taken the time to focus on fashion, but when I notice the change in hair color, I begin to freak out "But...what happened to my hair?!"

"Eh? What did you just say?" IF asks me with a confused look on her face, before calming down a little "Anyway, relax, it's a passive effect of clothing. It changes your hair color while it's equipped all because of its enchantments. If you wear any other clothes, it'll change based on the enchantment's effect on you, and if you wear your old clothes, it'll go back to your original hair color."

"Oh...sorry, I tend to speak Japanese like this when I'm very happy, angry, or embarrassed. The word I said is Japanese for amazing; well, one meaning for it." I say, embarrassed I let myself get like this. "Anyway, what happened to my old clothes? Just curious," I ask in a worried tone.

"They're in your inventory. You can access them freely, but for convenience, just stick with that outfit. You stand out a little too much in them."

"I suppose."

"When we complete our mission, we'll probably need to buy more outfits for you all. I don't know how things worked for you before, but you do need to eat, sleep, drink, and everything else here."

"Oh, I see." I say, understanding the logic there. Looks like this world isn't virtual like Aincrad, Alfheim, or Gun Gale. This one is real, but I need to wonder _how_ real this world is. Ugh...I'm already beginning to think of worst-case scenarios. Even if this world seems to have roots to video game terminology, I wonder how much is being used, especially since I've seen games having perma-death.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [15:30] June 12th 20XX

Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, Yuuki, and Shino are in front of me, all wearing rather unique outfits, with their hair colors having changed as well.

Katsuo is wearing a dark red tunic and crimson pants with gold trims, symbolizing his time as Yamakage in Alfheim, with his hair color being a rather interesting color of Cerise. Kazuto is wearing the same generic black clothing, little surprise there, though he is wearing dark blue pants, with his hair being Teal. Mamoru is wearing a brown sweat-shirt and pants; it makes him look younger than he really is, causing me to laugh a little, with his crimson red hair making him look like Katsuo in a sense. Ophelia chose a dark silver tunic with indigo colored pants, sporting cyan colored hair. Yuuki chose a violet shirt with crimson trims with the same colored pants, her purple hair being a rather feminine pink now. Shino chose to go all silver with her appearance and her black hair has changed to what my hair color is: Amber.

All of these outfits have a very futuristic style and feel to them; it's far more advanced and stylish than anything we have on Earth. Ophelia and Yuuki apparently love their brand new outfits based on the expressions on their faces.

"Wow, if I didn't know any better, you all could've lived here your entire lives." Falcom says with a smile.

"You all look incredible. You truly do seem like you were born here!" Compa says happily.

"Thanks Compa." Kazuto says with a forced smile, and I'm guessing it's because of the drastic changes on our hair colors.

"Now that you all have new trends, let's get to the Basilicom." IF says seriously.

* * *

Chirper Events:

Lily Rank 4 – Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, Yuuki, Shino

"Woah...We all look so different." I say starry-eyed, inspecting the clothing we're wearing.

"Tell me about it. These clothes are so futuristic, it feels like space armor. But the changes to our hair is not something I really like here." Katsuo says, examining the clothing he has on.

"At least we found clothing with our favorite colors. Onyx certainly does appeal to me nowadays."

"Kazuto, I have to ask, what is with you and the color black? It's all you wear." I ask curiously. Aside from that one time in the KoB, Kazuto has always worn black or dark colored clothing.

"I could ask you or Katsuo the same thing. Violet and red are all you've been wearing for years on end."

"Touché_..._" Katsuo mumbles quietly under his breath, but I can't tell what it is.

"You all must be going through hell. You have my sympathies, though I can't compare since I haven't lived your lives, but I do know what it's like to lose family. My father died when I was two to a car accident. You may find this odd since I was playing a first person shooter but...I'm actually really afraid of guns." Shino says in a quiet tone, recalling tragic events.

"Sorry to hear that Shino." Mamoru says sadly.

"I actually lost my parents three years ago, and my sister died two years ago. I've been living on my own afterward, also been trying ways to get over my -er...nothing."

"My god...I'm sorry Yuuki, I never knew." Katsuo says with a frown. Looks like the girl's had own share of hardships. I honestly wouldn't have expected it considering how upbeat she is.

"Why apologize? You had nothing to do with it, Katsuo. I prefer to think toward the cheerful future over the past that I can't change."

"Still, I just felt the need to apologize." Katsuo says in the same tone.

"Don't turn all sappy on me Katsuo, it's ill-fitting." Yuuki says laughingly, making a joke of all this.

"Hey! I'm pouring my heart out here and you're laughing at me!" Katsuo says, irritated over how Yuuki is treating this like a joke.

"Hehe, gomen Katsuo. You were just being so sappy, I had to do it."

* * *

Lily Rank 2 - Yuuki, IF

"_Hmm...I wonder if I should tell these guys or not. Although my doctors said that my condition began improving a little since I began hanging out with these guys, they told me not to get my hopes up considering how bad my disease has gotten. Maybe I should contemplate looking at some hospitals or clinics here in Planeptune. I have doubts, but maybe they have medicine that can boost my immune system. I can't let my friends down right now, so I can't let myself drop dead._"

"You look distracted, you okay?" IF asks, walking toward Yuuki.

"Woah! Don't sneak up on me like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I'm sorry, I just want to know why you seem so off your game."

"Er...um...IF, can you keep a secret?"

"Sure. What's wrong with ya?"

"Well...I contracted a disease some time after I was born which has been slowly killing me. We call it Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. The disease itself can't exactly kill me per say, but it makes it very easy for diseases to get me under since it continuously weakens my immune system. I don't want anyone to know but considering that I'm away from my doctors..."

"You're worried your immune system will fail and you'll fall prey to disease?" IF asks with a sad frown "Actually, Yuuki, is this thing contagious? I don't want the people of Planeptune going through an epidemic."

"Yeah. Look, IF, don't tell a soul about this. Especially my friends." Yuuki pleads desperately before trying to calm down a bit "According to the doctors, it's not too contagious. It doesn't spread by being around people infected with this disease. It only spreads with er...'close' physical interactions. Holding hands and hugging doesn't count among them."

"Yuuki, your friends have all the reason in the world to be worried!"

"IF, please. I don't want them worrying about me. If I tell them I'm dying, they'll worry about me and I don't want that. We have a mission and I refuse to be what is keeping everyone back. Besides, I don't want them feeling sad or anything. I want us all to live life to the fullest as much as possible."

"I see. Look Yuuki, I think we can have you checked over by a doctor here in the city. Our medical technology is extraordinarily advanced. I don't know if they've ever had a case of a disease targeting the immune system itself, but I know that the hospital do stock powerful antibiotics. If we can't cure your disease, we can make damn sure that it takes forever for it to get you down."

"I appreciate it IF." Yuuki sincerely smiles toward IF's generosity about the matter, even though it could end up being pointless.

"What can I say? Histoire committed nearly all of our resources to bring you seven here. If I have any say in the matter, I won't let something petty like disease kill people we need."

"I don't know whether to call that a good or bad thing." Yuuki lightly sighs in response to IF's rather blunt statement about keeping her in good shape.

* * *

Back to story

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [16:00] June 12th 20XX

We're inside the Basilicom and have made it to the inner sanctum of the tower, where we see a tiny fairy-like human with blonde hair, wings colored blue, silver, and violet, sitting on a book with silver pages.

"You've been gone quite some time IF." The fairy says with a serious frown. Apparently we were on a tight schedule and IF neglected that for a shopping trip.

"I apologize Histoire, but certain things needed to be done." IF says apologetically. "Karen Koizumi, Katsuo Viperia, Kazuto Kirigaya, Mamoru Nakasone, Ophelia Takara, Yuuki Konno, Shino Asada, meet Histoire, Planeptune's Oracle. While Neptune technically is Planeptune's CPU, Histoire is the one who truly runs this nation."

"Histoire, I know this may not be the perfect time, but I need some questions answered." I say seriously.

"Very well. Ask your questions and I will do my best to answer." Histoire says calmly.

"First...I heard something about CPUs, were we summoned to help with that somehow?"

"Correct, we've seen your power from your time in Aincrad, we knew you were our best chance to rescue our Console Patron Units. I just wish we could've had the full team, not just two members of them. I used nearly all of our available power interfacing with an already existent portal to teleport you here in addition to manipulating the run-times of that monster-filled area. I couldn't afford to waste power trying to bring you all or else Planeptune would be non-existent now." Histoire says, making two different shows of emotion, one of happiness at the start and minor disappointment and sadness at the rest.

"Well, Histoire, we're still plenty strong. Yuuki, Ophelia, and Shino aren't exactly members of the original Senryaku unit in Aincrad, but each one of us are powerful in our own ways." I say with a smile, before I realize what she meant

"I know you are speaking the truth there. I saw your prowess in the world called Gun Gale Online...Why do you have such an exotic and unusual name for your world? Speaking of which, is Aincrad the world you are native to? I can't comprehend this one thing. It's a little confusing to me since I don't have logs of your world's history, only history about your prowess since you were in the world of Aincrad."

"Um...the thing is, the world of Gun Gale Online is one of our virtual worlds created by The Seed, it's not real." Yuuki says with an embarrassed laugh.

"Oh...that explains things, your civilization is more advanced than I thought. I thought that devastated world I brought you from was your real planet." Histoire says with a nervous laugh, an anime-style tear drop of embarrassment on her face.

"Anyway, Histoire, I won't speak for all of us, but we do need to return home at some point. Our friends and families will start worrying after a while." I say seriously.

"I understand your worries, but don't fret, time flows differently in this world from your own. I do not know the difference, but I do know you'll be able to stay here a long time before people in your world begin to worry."

"Look, it's not that I don't feel bad about these CPUs or hate this world, but Histoire, please send me back to Earth. I don't want to be stuck here." Shino says quietly.

"Sadly, I don't have the ability to send any of you back. I used an extensive amount of power bringing you all here. But, if you'd be willing to perform two favors for Planeptune, I will do whatever I can to return you to your world." Histoire says happily, though her tone was rather sad at the start.

"What favors do you ask of us?" Mamoru asks curiously.

"First of all, we need to send some of you to rescue our CPUs from ASIC. Their freedom will ensure you all can return to your world. Sadly, I only have the power to send six people to and from the Gamindustri Graveyard where they are being kept captive this time. The second is that we need our Shares boosted."

"Shares? What are shares?" Kazuto asks curiously.

"Shares is the belief people have in our goddess CPUs. Over the last few years, ASIC has stolen nearly all of our shares, and in retrospect: They've stolen nearly all of the faith people have in our Goddesses. I pooled all but three percent of Planeptune's remaining Shares to summon you, so you could save our world of Gamindustri." Histoire says very sadly, a real tear running down her cheeks.

"So your situation is that grave? I can hardly look the other way about situations like this." Katsuo says quietly.

"Neither can I." I say in the same quiet tone, with the others nodding in agreement about not wanting to leave this situation be.

"So will you help us rescue Nep and the other CPUs?" IF asks us all.

"You said you could only send six people to this Gamindustri Graveyard. Who's going there?" I ask curiously.

"I requested IF and Falcom to go to the Graveyard alongside you all, but Compa is forcing the issue. She will be going, at my reluctance, since I was hoping to send four of you alongside IF and Falcom. You will need to choose three of you to go with them. Whoever you don't bring will remain here in Planeptune to build up Shares." Histoire says seriously.

"So, we need to split our team into two?" Katsuo asks with a hint of concern.

"Yeah." IF says quietly.

"Histoire, everyone, could you give us a minute or so to deliberate? This isn't something we should decide randomly." I say seriously, though I hide a frown since I just plain hate having to divide our group like this.

"Of course, take the time to decide who will be going to rescue the CPUs and who'll stay behind." Histoire says, as we walk outside the room to deliberate.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [16:15] June 12th 20XX

We leave the room where Histoire, IF, Compa, and Falcom are so we can deliberate on who we're going to send to the Graveyard.

"Okay, we can't afford complaints or fights. Whoever doesn't go must not hold any anger toward those who go." I say with a grave frown, not wanting to have tension built among us since we need to work together to eventually work together.

"Naturally" Shino says calmly.

"This is just my thinking, but we ought to limit our numbers to SAO players; so myself, Katsuo, Kazuto, or Mamoru. Ophelia, Yuuki, Shino, I do not doubt your skills, but we need people who have fought with their lives on the line before." I say with a composed tone, trying to get my point across when it comes to danger.

"I can understand why you'd want such people, Karen. The three of us have never fought to defend our lives for real, unlike you four. But still, I know that Yuuki was able to defeat Hikaru, Katsuo, and Kazuto before, she ought to be considered for this decision." Ophelia says casually.

"Ophelia, I respect your logic on this, but you're forgetting one thing. Most, if not everyone from SAO have had their skills dulled from the death game since their return to reality, but I've seen Katsuo and Mamoru in battle here. Their rapid reaction time and power are stronger than in Aincrad. We need SAO players for this one."

"I'm not going to force the issue, Karen. You're the talented leader out of all of us, so whatever you decide, I'll go with it." Yuuki says with a smile.

"Okay, let me think...a graveyard will have limited space...it'd be hell for archers, so we need to stick with melee combatants. Sorry Mamoru, but I'm requesting you stay behind on this one. Katsuo, Kazuto, and I will go." I say reluctantly. Forcing the team to separate is not something I'm proud of, but in this situation, I don't have another option.

"Fair enough. Yuuki, Ophelia, Shino, and I will remain in Planeptune and help Histoire build up shares. Be careful all of you, understood?" Mamoru says casually, and paternally at the end, as he is the oldest in our group aside from Andrew and Tsuboi.

"I don't feel right about you throwing yourself in danger again, Karen." Ophelia says with a sniffle.

"Ophelia, it'll be okay. I'm crazy tough, you know that." I say with a laugh, though Ophelia scowls at my lightheartedness. I'm not too surprised at this point because of how Ophelia has been acting pretty different lately.

"Okay, so Karen, Katsuo, and myself are going?"

"Yeah, let's return to Histoire and give our decision." I say, opening the door to the room, walking in alongside the others.

"Have you come to a decision?" Histoire asks me.

"Yes. Katsuo, Kazuto and I will go with IF, Compa, and Falcom, while Mamoru, Yuuki, and Shino will stay behind and gather shares for Planeptune." I say calmly. "I'd prefer to have Ophelia working on technology, if she wishes."

"Your friend is skilled in technology? How skilled?" IF asks curiously.

"She's exaggerating, though I do have some experience with robotic mechs. I've also been studying what I can when it comes to technology." Ophelia says calmly.

"Very well. Ophelia, I would like to ask you to assist Planeptune's research team. I was going to send a messenger for them to find a way to send you all back, perhaps you could help them and they can help you. In this case, this saves me the time of finding someone to send the message. I want them to begin thinking of a way to return you all to your world eventually."

"Understood. Best of luck everyone." Ophelia says with a smile, walking away to the research division.

After Mamoru, Yuuki, Ophelia, and Shino walk away, only we seven are left in the room.

"Okay, it's going to take me time to open a portal to the Gamindustri Graveyard. As soon as I gather enough power, I'll summon you. Until then, feel free to explore the Basilicom."

"Er...talk about tension drops. Why exactly couldn't you have done this before we got here?" Katsuo weakly mutters this, and honestly, if Katsuo wasn't the one doing it, I would've. Honestly, there was a good amount of emphasis placed on us helping rescue these Console Patron Units and we have to wait? Geez, if this is how everything works in this world...I don't even want to think about it.

"I couldn't afford to let it dissipate if we waited too long. Although the way you think has it merits, I cannot afford to take any risks here."

I sigh in an irritated manner before I look toward Katsuo and Kazuto "I'll stay here you guys. Feel free to walk about."

Katsuo and Kazuto walk out of the room with expressions of discontent, leaving an uncomfortable air in the room between the five of us. After some time passes, Histoire floats over to an intercom and calls for Kazuto and Katsuo to come back to the antechamber. When they returned, Histoire got to work and opened a portal with a purplish tint.

"Listen, I'll need to close the portal to prevent monsters from getting through in addition to how we need to conserve shares once you all cross through. So, to maintain contact, take these three walkie talkies." Histoire says, floating over to a nearby shelf and grabbing three walkie talkies, then passing one to me, IF, and Falcom. She then passes a small crystal to Compa.

"What is that?" I ask Histoire.

"This is called the Sharicite, we're going to use this to help the CPUs escape the graveyard." IF says calmly.

"It's so small. I'm feeling a tiny bit worried, will this be enough?" I ask worriedly.

"I don't know. We spent years building up faith for this Sharicite, so if we can get even a single CPU free, it'll be worth it." Falcom says quietly.

"Let's go. Let's rescue these CPUs and return to our world." Katsuo says proudly.

The six of us enter the portal to enter the Graveyard.

"Best of luck, everyone." Histoire says, with mild fear in her voice.


	3. Chapter 2: Arrival into the Graveyard

Karen, Katsuo, and Kazuto have volunteered to go to the Gamindustri Graveyard to rescue the CPUs of this world. These three are accompanying IF, Compa, and Falcom. Will these six be able to save the CPUs and Gamindustri afterward?

* * *

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the words that I write and the characters that I create. Credit goes to the original creator of the SAO universe; credits also to the creators and contributors to the Hyperdimension Neptunia series._

Warning: This chapter is rather gruesome compared to what I usually write in these stories. You've been warned here. It actually will not end here, since the characters will be going through a lot more like this in future chapters, but it won't be as gruesome as this one...hopefully.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [18:00] June 12th 20XX

When we cross the portal Histoire had created, we find ourselves in an area clearly deserving of the title 'Graveyard'; the environment is dark, foreboding, and has a borderline disturbing aura; with it being worse considering how dark it's getting because of the fact that it's getting closer to midnight with every passing minute.

"So this is the Gamindustri Graveyard. Reminds me of the Hill of the Cross on floor 19 of Aincrad...just more creepy and full of trash." I say a little weakly, with this foreboding atmosphere weighing down on me somewhat.

"Come on, let's hurry and find the CPUs. They should be somewhere over there." Falcom says in a composed tone, surprisingly unfazed by this atmosphere.

"This place is scary." Compa says, stuttering in fear, agreeing with me somewhat.

"Compa, you okay?" Katsuo asks worriedly.

"There are so many creepy monsters around here. I can't calm myself down with them around."

"Don't worry, the three of us were brought here to help you rescue these Goddesses. We'll make sure all of you stay safe." Katsuo says proudly.

"Hmm, I know it was our decision, but a tiny part of me wishes Mamoru was here, he was a skilled hunter and tracker, his skills may have been useful here." I say with a small sigh, though I silence the thought, knowing that it's too late to change my mind.

We march through the graveyard, with the six of us fighting some blob like monsters, thankfully, IF, Compa, and Falcom told us the name of these monsters, which are Pixelvaders, and they told us how to best fight them though it's a huge pain for me since I'm using a spear which is making this kind of fighting challenging. These things are not very strong on their own, but they keep grouping up on us, making it tough for us to fight. We march slowly to avoid ambushes or traps, yet fast enough to avoid having us worn down by consistent monster attacks.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [20:00] June 12th 20XX

We've made it quite a ways into the graveyard and we've thankfully kept the number of confrontations to a minimal but we're slowly getting exhausted from the fighting, stealthily traversing the graveyard, and in general, walking through the area. Compa and I have started getting exhausted so we decided to take a short break in a secluded alcove to recover our strength a bit.

"Ugh...these monsters never give up; if this keeps up, I won't have the strength to go on. I haven't been focusing on physical exertion for months." I say with a few light pants, having been fighting rather heavily when I'm not too accustomed to the weight of this spear, since it's far heavier than I originally thought. I'm resting against the wall putting my spear in front of my arm, keeping the blade away from the others

"You okay Karen? I know you never had the physical strength Hikaru, Sylvia, and I had. We need everyone at our best." Katsuo says worriedly.

"I'll be fine. I want to keep this break to a minimal." I say bluntly, not wanting to stay here too long. My resolve will weaken if I do so and it's weak enough as it is already, any more and I would not be able to continue fighting.

"Heh, I see that you're still capable of being as stubborn as when you were in Aincrad as Solaris." Katsuo laughs when he hears my rather blunt declaration. "Very well, if everyone's capable, let's keep going."

"Actually, I'm still feeling a little exhausted, think we could have a little more time?" Compa asks a tiny bit worriedly, being in a similar stance as I am.

"Hm, very well, we'll stay here for five more minutes." Katsuo says calmly, with a tiny hint of anger, as I suspect he wants to get out of here ASAP just like me despite what he had said just now.

"Okay, let's divide our team a little. Katsuo, Kazuto, stay here with Compa and link up with us later. Karen, Falcom, let's march forward and clear a path."

"IF, you sure dividing our forces is wise?" I ask, knowing full well how dangerous such a thing can be from all my time inside Aincrad, having seen at least three to five hundred deaths from making such moves.

"Probably not, but I can't stand the fact I left Nep and the others trapped here after so long." IF says emotionlessly, marching forward.

I get up and follow IF with Falcom in tow. After a few minutes pass, I ask the girl a question, wanting to inquire something about this situation here.

"Hey Falcom, how long have these CPUs been trapped here? Also...what's wrong with IF? She seems really out of it since we got here." I ask curiously, wanting a little more exposition on what we're up against.

"Three years. Histoire sent an entire Guild military battalion to rescue them a week after we lost contact, but we lost the entire battalion save three people, who perished two days after they made it back to Planeptune." Falcom says rather nonchalantly as she gives the exposition I asked for "And to answer your second question Karen; IF feels extremely guilty. She feels like she's responsible for the CPUs after we lost contact three years ago. She thinks that if she was with them, they might have succeeded."

I begin freaking out at this update from Falcom about the odds we're facing here

"Uh...Uh...Um...if what I'm hearing is right...You lost an _entire_ battalion of trained soldiers, and Histoire expects a team of _six_ to do what a _battalion_ failed to do?!" I say, panicking a lot...I'm really starting to get scared here. Not even Aincrad was sadistic enough to place such obstacles in front of us, it was always fair as long as you prepared yourself. _Sugou_ was not sadistic enough for this and he forcibly modified my soul! Atleast, that's what I feel like now.

"I won't deny that the battle before was very grave and devastating, but we're far better equipped in terms of knowledge. We have full knowledge of the layout unlike the battalion before, and we know what we're up against this time around." Falcom says, trying to calm me down.

"That...does calm me down a tiny bit; lack of information on a battlefield can lead to devastating casualties." I say, though my tone is still full of anxiety however.

"Besides, we recruited you all specifically because you're far superior to any of our militaries. We know of your accomplishments in Aincrad through our records. According to what the records say, Senryaku was a Special Forces group, with you leading them." Falcom says with a smile.

"Hehe...you're embarrassing me. I initially founded Senryaku out of desperation. We may have been classified as Special Forces, but we're just ordinary civilians, we're not soldiers." I say with an embarrassed laugh, before I realize something Falcom said "...Hang on...if we're far superior to your militaries...this world must be insanely pacifistic if its militaries are weaker than teenagers!"

"Either way, we just need your help to get the CPUs, as soon as that's done, we won't force your hand any further." Falcom says calmly and continues to move ahead, with me utterly paralyzed a little.

"_What the hell is wrong with this world? This is defying logic in more ways than one!_"

"Hurry up, both of you!" IF shouts slightly angrily, trying to keep quiet.

"R-Right!" Falcom and I both say, panicking lightly, running to where she is.

We get a little further in when IF stops us and covers her mouth with her index finger, telling us to be quiet

"There are three Plaid Dolphins ahead. They're all dangerous monsters. We can't afford to draw too much attention. If we get noticed by the wrong people, we're freaking screwed."

"What do we do IF?" I ask, knowing that this is the only way to get further into the graveyard.

"I'm...not really sure. That's the only way to get to where the battalion reported where they found Nep and the others. We're stuck."

"Maybe we could-" I try to say before I hear a mind-shattering voice go off in my head, making me fall to my knees

"Woah! Karen, you okay?!" IF quietly exclaims, her and Falcom both crouching down to me.

"_**Do not hesitate to strike young one. I will grant you the necessary strength to accomplish this, but you must find me soon. Find and help me, and your reward will be worth the cost.**_"

"_Who...Who are you?_"

"_**It is not important. I am going to give you my power, so destroy the monsters in your way then find me.**_"

"_Ugh...why do you want me to find you? I'm trying to rescue the CPUs._"

"_**Listen. Rescuing the CPUs and saving me is tantamount. It's just that no one, even Histoire, is aware of this one missing link. I am a treasure cove of unknown power and I desire to destroy ASIC. I am dying however and I need someone to help me return to civilization.**_"

"_Saving you is the same as getting the Console Patron Units? How...Wait, you're one of the Goddesses too?_"

"_**An ancient goddess yes. I saw the goddesses: Purple Heart, Black Heart, White Heart, and Green Heart along with a CPU Candidate: Purple Sister fight here years ago. I wish I could have joined them in battle but I am too weak and I can not materialize a physical form. I have not been able to for a very long time.**_"

"_Okay, I have no idea how you've lived such a long time but I can try to help. We were brought here to help the CPUs after all._"

"_**Thank you. I thought I would be dead long before anyone was able to find me. But look, we don't have time to play twenty questions! Get moving!**_"

After this mystery woman finished speaking with me, I feel a surge of power welling up from deep within me and I then stand up, keeping a firm grip on my spear as I notice it become enveloped in light. I am about to rush out when IF pulls me back

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Clearing the way. Go get the others." I snarl rather stubbornly as I break free from IF's grip and rush ahead. While I may not exactly be in charge of the team, I don't plan on letting IF direct what I do. I don't want to rub the fact that IF and the others are depending on us in her face, but I refuse to act as a pawn. I make my own moves, but I'll also avoid harming this world and our mission as much as possible.

I quickly dash toward the Dolphins and with the strength I can feel coursing through my veins, I stab one before they noticed me. I am not able to comprehend how I was even remotely capable of this since I am not acrobatic in _any_ way, but while I had the monster paralyzed with my spear through it, I was somehow able to acrobatically spin around my spear and repeatedly hit the other two monsters with a series of kicks, temporarily stunning them while I jump back a little, pulling my spear out of the monster, destroying it once I finish and I quickly stab the other two Dolphins with my spear, destroying them just as quickly.

"Holy freaking god! How in the world?!" I exclaim in awe, wondering how in the world I did all this. If this dying Console Patron Unit can only grant miniscule amounts of power to people and they become capable of doing _this_, I can only imagine what these goddesses can do when they are at full power!

"_**Hehe. Are you impressed?**_"

"Hell yeah! I have never been able to do anything like this in my life!"

"_**We goddesses are immensely powerful, but my time has come and gone. I don't have any followers or shares remaining but listen, my time is running out. I need you to come and find me.**_"

"Got it. But, where are you? I can't really find you if I don't know where you are."

"_**I'm hidden among the trash. I'm near the CPUs in a wide open space.**_"

"If you're close to the CPUs, we'll get to you quick. We came to save them in the first place."

Almost immediately after I finish speaking with this mystery goddess, I get turned around and slapped by IF

"What the hell were you thinking you idiot?! You could've gotten us killed!"

"I cleared the way so get off my case." I retort angrily as I lightly rub my cheek. IF said that this was the only way to get to the CPUs so I defeated the monsters in our way. Why is she getting so pissed off since I did what we needed?

"You are so lucky that-!" IF tries to say before being stopped by Falcom.

"Take it easy IF. I'm sure that Karen did what was best, right?"

"Yeah, now let's just wait for the others to get here."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [20:30] June 12th 20XX

We've made it very far into this Graveyard and found nothing but monsters. I'm beginning to lose hope that we'll find these CPUs considering how far we've been going.

"We've been walking for over two hours now, the survivors weren't kidding when they said this place is huge." IF says with quiet surprise. While I barely know this world, I know that the dungeon in the forest was pretty small, since it didn't take us very long to find Falcom, though we were led by the sounds of battle so that may have helped.

"I hope we can find Nep-Nep and the others soon." Compa says worriedly.

"Urgh..." I hear a voice in the distance.

"Did any of you hear something?" I ask curiously.

"Yeah, it came from that way." Kazuto says, pointing to the only way we have access to aside from the path we took.

"Come on everyone, let's go find out what's causing it." IF states calmly, with all of us running in the direction of that sound.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [20:40] June 12th 20XX

We've made it to a large clearing to find five people imprisoned in some sort of wiring. We can see a young girl with long lilac hair, wearing some kind of futuristic white and purple colored armor, who looks a few years younger than us; a woman with long dark purple hair set in twintail braids, wearing similar armor as the young girl but black and purple colored; another with blue hair wearing blue and white colored armor; one with white hair and black colored armor, and the last has long green hair and is wearing a really revealing white colored armor.

"Iffy? Compa?" The woman with long purple hair weakly asks when she looks up toward us.

"Nep-Nep! They even imprisoned Ge-Ge and the other CPUs!" Compa exclaims in shock at this sight.

"What the hell is this? It reminds me of Alfheim." I say in utter shock, remembering how Sugou used chains on Asuna and the others the day we escaped that world.

We exchange glances between this dark purple haired woman and the other four people. All five of these girls are bound in the same kind of wires.

"They've been like this for three years? They've gone through more torture than any Sword Art Online player. At least we were given free will during Aincrad, these girls were kept bound for that long." Kazuto says in mild agape at the sight of the imprisoned CPUs.

"Let's just get them out of here. Compa, you have the Sharicite, so do your thing and get them out of here. Falcom, go and protect her. Everyone else, spread out and stay on guard." IF says seriously.

When Compa and Falcom rushed to help the CPUs, we began spreading out through the wide open area with me looking around the trash trying to find this mystery CPU since she said she was buried around here. Almost immediately however, we hear a loud voice not too far away from us.

"I will not let you free those CPUs!"

We all look around frantically, and when I look above, I notice a huge creature descending toward us

"Break off! It's above us!" I shout, being sent to the south by the shockwave sent by this creature's axe when it crashes into the ground. I see Kazuto, Katsuo, Falcom, Compa, and IF being sent to the east, closer to the CPUs.

I take a glance at this creature to see it's dark gray with cyan trims all over its body, with a giant axe with a skull on one side, it also has giant wings, with a D-Pad on both wings.

"Hahahahaha! You fools have come rushing to your graves. I'd be more than willing to fulfill your death wish. I've been stuck in this place for three years with nothing to do, you had better amuse me!" The creature says in a hostile tone, though apparently, it's happy that it has something to occupy its time, even if for a moment.

"Damn it...I was hoping we wouldn't run into one of these guys." IF says with a growl.

"What the hell is this thing?!" Katsuo shouts in shock.

"That's Criminal of the Free World or CFW Judge. He was responsible for annihilating the Guild battalion three years ago. Compa, go get the CPUs, Falcom, keep her safe! We'll stall this guy." IF says, rushing toward Judge alongside myself, Katsuo, and Kazuto.

We try to attack this creature, but its rock hard armor is preventing us from doing any damage to this thing, and even our strongest attacks are barely making a dent in this creature's Guard Gauge. After ten minutes of near fruitless combat, Judge then retaliates with four slashes with his axe which throws all four of us flying, with me being sent to the west while Kazuto, Katsuo, and IF get sent toward Compa and Falcom.

* * *

POV: Compa, Falcom

Compa has made it to one of the CPUs: Nepgear and is using the Sharicite to restore her energy. Nepgear opens her eyes somewhat, but is still feeling faint.

"Ge-Ge! Please wake up! Iffy and the others need you!" Compa says very worriedly, fearing for the safety of IF, Karen, Katsuo, and Kazuto, as she and Falcom are seeing that the four of them are fighting a losing battle and are quickly getting their asses kicked by Judge.

"Compa...? I think I'm..." Nepgear says weakly, before getting interrupted by a loud scream.

"GAHHH!"

* * *

POV: General

While I was trying to distract Judge and try opening a chance for IF, Kazuto, and Katsuo to attack; Judge attacked me with his axe in an uppercut strike, sending me flying against the trash wall, making me scream in pain as I'm sent. The fall down is rather painful since I can feel the walls scratching through my clothing to my skin. While most of the cuts from the wall were done to my back, the axe strike alone cut me open really badly and I feel a little blood pouring down my face. Getting out of this without scars, or even alive considering the size of these wounds, will be a miracle. While I shouldn't be putting this high on my priorities, but my new clothes are pretty torn up based on what I see from a piece of glass and the enchantment on these clothes must have been destroyed as my hair color reverted from the snow white color to my natural amber, but thankfully it must still be intact enough to keep the size the same, to my _extreme_ relief.

"Karen!" Katsuo shouts in fear, seeing Judge slash a deep cut near my heart, making me lose quite a lot of blood as I fall to the ground, with me bleeding out as well from all of the cuts to my skin "Damn it...she won't make it if we don't do something! Kazuto, IF, stall for time! I need to get Karen to safety!" Katsuo shouts, waiting for the duo to attack Judge to stall time.

After I see Kazuto and IF attack Judge, Katsuo runs toward me and picks me up before carrying me to Compa.

"Compa, Karen needs medical attention, fast!"

"Leave her to me, go help Iffy and Kazuto!" Compa says seriously, pulling out some wrap bandages for the exposed wound near my heart.

Although my vision is becoming blurred from blood loss, I can see that Katsuo does not look eager to leave my side. "Katsuo...go help the others...I'll be fine..." I say weakly, coughing up some blood as I say this.

"Karen, don't talk right now! Your condition will deteriorate if you keep this up!" Compa says solemnly, continuing to treat my injuries.

Katsuo reluctantly goes to help IF and Kazuto, and shortly after my injuries are covered up by the bandages; I see IF, Kazuto, and Katsuo thrown back by Judge's axe, causing three different screams. Oddly, before Katsuo rushed to my side, I felt some sort of presence figuratively wrap me in a warm shield of some kind and while I don't exactly know what it's doing, it seems to be reassuring me. But despite how Compa quickly treated my injuries, I'm still bleeding out, albeit much slower thanks to it, and I'm going to need professional medical care quickly.

"You all are pathetic! You're hardly worth the effort of my axe. Put some effort into this, I don't want to fight rats that don't have the audacity to fight for their lives!" Judge growls angrily.

"My god...this CFW Judge is kicking our asses so easily." I say in rather strong pain and in dismay, seeing Kazuto and Katsuo being thrown into the air by a shockwave made by Judge.

"That's why we were hoping not to encounter one of the CFWs. They're unstoppable because ASIC controls over 80 percent of the world's shares. We can't defeat or even harm a single CFW because of how powerful their faith is." Falcom says to me.

"Damn it...we can't let it end here." I say, trying to get up, but a very sharp pain starts up near my heart when I try.

"Don't get up! You'll reopen your wounds if you do so!" Compa says seriously, and angrily toward me.

"Are you okay?" The young girl: Nepgear asks me in concern, with me slightly seeing her staring at the wrap bandage around my left arm and my stomach.

I glance at the young girl with bright purplish-pink hair flowing straight out, blue eyes, wearing a white one piece with long white metallic socks of some kind, and purple wings of an exotic design, who is floating somewhat. I see that she has a worried look on her face.

"Ugh...I'll be fine...I've gone through worse." I say in pain, lying quite a bit, as I cough up even more blood.

"This isn't good...Judge's power is too much for us." IF says in mild pain, having been struck by Judge's axe, but not to the extent I went through.

"Then let me fight on your behalf." Nepgear says seriously, approaching Judge. "All of you, fall back." Nepgear says to Kazuto, Katsuo, and IF.

She summons some sort of exotic weapon, which looks like some sort of advanced and elegant gunblade, and she takes up combat against Judge, while IF, Kazuto, and Katsuo retreat to where Compa, Falcom, and I are.

"It's time for my Celestial Severance! Multiple Beam Launcher Overdrive!" Nepgear shouts, activating a skill which shoots Judge before applying two shocks of electricity before jumping back and focusing a beam of energy toward Judge before executing an explosion which should finish off Judge for good.

...Except that Judge hardly seemed injured from the power of what Nepgear pulled off...

"Is that all you have? That's the power of a high and mighty CPU?" Judge growls in anger and arrogance, facing all seven of us; with us all being heavily exhausted from all the fighting we've been going through against Judge, aside from Compa and Falcom.

"Compa, how are Nep and the others faring? We could really use their help right now!" IF says, with mild exhaustion.

"They aren't reviving! The Sharicite's not helping!" Compa says, freaked out.

"_That must mean the Sharicite is insufficient to revive the other CPUs._" Histoire says through our walkie-talkies.

"We've...thrown too much on the line for us to fall here...we can't let this happen!" Kazuto shouts in anger, also exhausted from this battle.

"You all are far too troublesome. It's time I end your lives once and for all!" Judge states angrily.

"I can't...I'm not strong enough to fight Judge. Wait, maybe if we use the power of the Sharicite, perhaps we could pull through." Nepgear says weakly, before coming up with an idea.

"DIE!" Judge shouts, drawing his axe toward us.

Nepgear takes the Sharicite from Compa, and uses it to emit a bright light, blinding all of us briefly.

"Argh! This bright light! My eyes! My eyes! My eyes!" Judge growls in anger, swinging his axe in the air, thankfully, far from us.

"Nice going Gear! He's off his game!" IF says proudly.

"Did it...work...ugh." Nepgear says, weakly before collapsing.

"Nepgear!" Katsuo says in concern as he sees her fall.

"Gear, if you pass out now!" IF shouts worriedly, starting to fear the worst now.

"How dare you! Once my optical system reboots, I will tear you apart one by one!" Judge growls angrily, keeping a hand over his eyes.

"_Everyone, get out of there. We don't have the power to fight ASIC anymore today._" Histoire says seriously, and fearful as well.

"Damn it...understood, everyone, we're getting out of here. Falcom, help Gear." IF says in anger over being forced to leave Nep and the other three CPUs.

"I'll help Karen." Katsuo says, supporting me with one shoulder.

The seven of us run as best we can away from that clearing and we find ourselves at the entrance after an hour of running. The reason why we're able to move so quickly is how we know the environment far more than before and adrenaline certainly has a gift of ignoring pain and boost stamina.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [22:00] June 12th 20XX

"We made it to safety...thank goodness." IF says with a few pants, what with her being exhausted from being the only fighter left available aside from Compa.

"Ugh...I-I feel faint..." I say weakly, I think I lost too much blood before I got this emergency treatment. Even when Compa had covered my wounds with bandages, I was still bleeding out really badly and it's beginning to show as I'm feeling incredibly light headed and my vision is starting to get dark.

"This is a mess; we were supposed to get all of the CPUs; but we were only able to get Gear, and what's worse is that..." IF says with her eyes closed, clearly disappointed in herself.

"We lost the Sharicite when Ge-Ge used it. Rescuing the other CPUs is just not possible now." Compa says sadly.

"Great, so we came all this way to rescue the five CPUs, and we only managed to get one. Gah...and after all these injuries; we're not going to be able to fight for a few days." Katsuo says sadly, and goes through a minor pain spasm, with him dropping me as a result, making me yelp in pain from the sudden movement. He picks me back up rather quickly though thankfully.

"_Don't be discouraged. Saving Nepgear is highly worthy of praise. She will be very helpful in our plan to defeat ASIC._" Histoire says compassionately, trying to ease our pain.

"What do we do now Histoire? We're all in bad shape." IF asks worriedly.

"_I'm opening a new portal, return to Planeptune. I imagine you all need rest and medical attention. And I am certain that Nepgear will want to sleep in her own bed for the first time in years. I also want to know what happened three years ago between the CPUs and ASIC._"

We see a portal with a purple tint open, and we all walk through it slowly, to find ourselves in the room where we found Histoire in the first place.

"Welcome back, I see you did manage to get Nepgear, well done." Histoire says quietly, noticing all of the injuries we have.

"Was not easy...I..." I weakly say before collapsing, with my eyes outright closing as I fall, though I'm forcing myself to keep them open as much as I possibly can.

"Karen!" Katsuo and Kazuto both shout in surprise.

"She needs proper medical attention. I need you to bring Karen to the medical wing immediately and treat her wounds! Hurry!" Histoire says seriously to three people from the medical team that was called, who leave with me being put on a stretcher, but before I'm taken away, I overhear Histoire say "Look over IF and the others, they are injured as well."


	4. Chapter 3: Recovery and Rejuvenation

Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, IF, Compa, and Falcom have succeeded in rescuing Console Patron Unit: Nepgear. However, significant injuries were inflicted to Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, and IF, with Karen being brought near death. How will the team fare with such significant injury to morale?

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the words that I write and the characters that I create. Credit goes to the original creator of the SAO universe; credits also to the creators and contributors to the Hyperdimension Neptunia series._

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:00] June 27th 20XX

After that horrific battle in the graveyard, the last thing I was able to coherently remember was me passing out in the meeting hall of the Planeptune Basilicom before everything began becoming black. I don't know how long it's been since that time, but I've been doing the one thing I can do considering the environment: Wander aimlessly through the darkness. Though it doesn't exactly help that I can't see a god damn single thing aside from that darkness and faint auras, though I hear a familiar voice shouting at me amidst the perpetual darkness I see in front and around me.

"**What are you doing?! I did not sacrifice everything to have you keel over on me! GET UP!**"

"Ugh...what are you expecting of me? I know full well what happened. If this isn't the afterlife, I'll be joining their ranks soon enough. Just get off my god damn back already." I groan really weakly in face of this woman's anger toward me.

"**You are not dead! Honestly, the one reason you're not is because of me! Get your damn ass in gear and fight for survival! I did not sacrifice my own existence so you can die!**"

"Then why save me in the first place?" I quietly inquire, wondering why this woman is speaking of sacrificing her own life to save mine. I don't know why I'm acting so submissive right now, when I'm usually brash when people fight me like this, though I guess that this perpetual darkness really dulled me to a state worse than a butter knife.

"**Trust me. If I even had an alternative, I would've taken it considering the way you're acting. To answer your question, I told you that I was close to dying just like you were when you were struck by Judge. I merged my life with yours to keep myself alive. Like it or not, we are sharing the same body and like hell I'm going to let you be the primary host if you're going to act like a spoiled brat!**"

After this shout from the woman, I can sense this figure creating some kind of weapon and points it toward me.

"**Draw your weapon if you wish to live!**"

"I can see you are quite eager to shed blood between us. And how am I supposed to draw a weapon I don't possess?" I sigh with me feeling some sort of weapon appear in my hands instantly after I mentioned me being unarmed.

"**What the? Ah. Of course. Since my soul entered your body, this weapon considers us both its rightful owner. Well, now we are on equal footing since we wield the same sword.**"

"Yeah right. I can't handle a sword to save my life." I sarcastically respond since I have never wielded a sword in my real life. My senses are beginning to recover to a degree, since I was greatly dulled from staring at this utterly void darkness.

"**Not this sword. Its magic enables its rightful owner to use it like a master.**"

"_Even if what this woman says is true and I can use this sword like a master, I'm still not good with physical exertion or speed. I'm better suited to handling intel and leadership. I need to use my skill with strategies over raw power. Draw this out if possible._"

Even though I cannot see a damn thing in the darkness, I close my eyes to heighten my senses and I adopt a defensive stance I've seen Katsuo use a lot though it's rather different because he typically uses a sword &amp; shield mixture while I am using what feels like a one-handed sword and I hear a chuckle from the mystery woman.

"**So you're trying to anticipate my moves huh? Smart. But I am not as naive as you think. But, I also know that if I charge in blazing, you'd counter my moves. I could easily make this a battle of attrition you know?**"

"But I get the feeling you do not want such a thing to occur." I'd be an idiot if I jumped the gun when I know I'm up against stronger opponents. I'd prefer to use diplomacy and clever thinking to make up for my weak combat capabilities.

"**Smart girl. I knew there was a reason why I saved your ass.**" I hear the sound of something evaporating instantaneously, which I believe are the swords, since I feel a large weight being lifted from my hands. "**I just know I will be shooting myself in the foot for this, but I give. Honestly, I was just testing you, and I have a feeling you will be able to handle the trials in front of you. Now get the hell up! Don't squander the second chance at life I gave you.**"

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:30] June 27th 20XX

I wake up somewhat to find my sight is still blurry, but I can see faint outlines of four people near my bed and the teal color of the walls. I hear a familiar voice as soon as my eyes open.

"Karen, you're alive!" Ophelia shouts happily, apparently noticing that I opened my eyes.

"Ophelia? Don't...shout. My ears...are ringing." I weakly say in response to her shout, with my voice being as weak as the time I came out from Alfheim "How long...have I...been out?" I ask weakly, as I rub my eyes as they try to readjust to this new environment.

"You've been out for fifteen days. I feel so guilty that you got hurt because of me." The lilac haired girl says, seemingly about to cry.

"_Fifteen days…? Holy crap._" I say in my mind, trying to wrap my mind around that "_How did I survive fifteen days in that condition? I should be dead._" After I finish speaking to myself, wondering how the hell I survived when I practically had my skin cut open by that giant's axe, I look toward the lilac haired girl "Your voice...is familiar. You must be...the CPU...we saved in the graveyard." I say weakly, having apparently been comatose for fifteen days straight and from the extensive injuries I suffered fighting CFW Judge.

"Yes, I owe my life to you and your friends." Nepgear says a little calmly compared to before, though she's still holding a frown.

"It was nothing...we were summoned to rescue you all...eto...is there any food nearby? I'm a little hungry." I say weakly, and embarrassedly when my stomach starts rumbling.

"I'll go get something Karen, let's give her a little bit of room Yuuki. Compa, Nepgear, keep an eye on her alright?" Ophelia asks the two other girls in the room, with Yuuki having apparently been here and follows her, leaving Compa and Nepgear in the room with me.

* * *

My eyesight begins to fully heal now and I can clearly see the lilac haired young girl who apparently is Nepgear in human form, wearing a sort of sailor uniform and the cream pink haired girl: Compa. Before, I was lucky to see faint outlines with vague colors.

"Um, Karen, what was that word you said? Eh toe?" Compa asks curiously.

"It's a word of my native language." I try to explain the intricacies of what I said since they don't seem to know Japanese. "_Er...how does this work? They can't speak Japanese yet they can speak to me and understand what I say. What's going on here?_" I ask myself, wondering what's allowing us to speak fluently.

"I see...hehe." Compa says with a nervous laugh, though I can see her staring at me rather intensively.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"You're carrying a sword that just uh...suddenly materialized. Where did you get it?" Nepgear inquires in quiet shock at the blade.

"Huh?" I stare at the sword which has a blue grip, a gold guard and shoulder, with a shiny silver colored luster on the blade. I notice that it's pretty firmly kept in my grip and the feel of it seems familiar to me somehow "_Wait...this is the same sword I used in that dream! It was real?_" After I ponder this for a minute or so, I try to get up from this bed to feel a razor sharp pain near my stomach as I try, which I instinctively grip with my free arm. "Agh...god does that hurt."

"Karen! Don't push yourself!" Nepgear exclaims in alarm, trying to force me to lay down again in the bed I've been sleeping in.

"Nepgear; I need to get up and about." I say bluntly and a little weakly as well, as I put the sword on a nearby table.

"If you swear not to push it, I'll help you walk around." Nepgear says with a calm yet surprisingly stern emotion, supporting my left arm as I try to get up again.

"Promise. Anyway, where are Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, and Shino?" I ask, with no knowledge of what happened over the last fifteen days because of how I was comatose.

"Your friends are scattered over Planeptune doing quests, shopping or other things. Katsuo and Kazuto are helping Mamoru with quests to keep their attention occupied. Yuuki has been doing small errands for Histoire to reduce her workload so she can focus more on managing Planeptune and gathering information. Ophelia's already become a valued member of the research division. Shino...mmm...she's been a little distant and depressed." Compa says a calm tone of voice, explaining what my friends have been doing while I was comatose.

"To be honest, Mamoru has been a bit depressed as well. Sometimes when he's here, he talks about someone called Haruka. Who exactly is that?" Nepgear says, adding on to the report from Compa.

"Haruka is a friend of ours and Mamoru's foster daughter. Haruka's parents told Mamoru to protect her through a pre-recorded message before they died. And I barely know Shino compared to the others, but I imagine she misses Earth since she hasn't been through what we've been through, but I'm surprised Yuuki's taking it so well." I say, remembering Earth a tiny bit "Oh yeah, we're apart once again." I say quietly, remembering the people we left behind. I actually begin crying now that I've thought about it "_How long are we going to be apart from our friends this time?_"

"What are you thinking about?" Nepgear asks me in concern, apparently seeing me cry.

"Katsuo, Kazuto, and I have...significant others back on Earth, alongside the fact we have friends and family back there. I won't speak for my friends, but I'm fearful I may never see any of them again." I say, with a light blush at the start, but quietly and sadly at the rest.

"Oh, I'm sorry...I never imagined you'd be forced to make sacrifices on this scale. I'm sorry Karen." Nepgear says apologetically.

"I won't deny that we may all be suffering trauma from our forced separation, but I'm doing the best I can to suppress that pain in order to do my mission, it's what I did in Aincrad." I say as serenely as I can to calm down the girl.

"Karen, can I ask you about this Aincrad? I heard you were summoned because of that." Nepgear asks curiously, putting me back in the bed rather forcibly. I'm surprised this girl who looks as harmless as a golden retriever is so strong and forceful.

"It's not something I like to think of much, but simply put; Aincrad was the name of the world inside the first virtual game: Sword Art Online. It was a technological marvel for my society, but the creator of Sword Art Online: Akihiko Kayaba; he changed the game where death is just like reality; you die once, you die for good. Just about everyone then was heavily scarred emotionally especially since two thousand people died in the first month. A lot of us feared we'd all die before we even got to leave."

"My goodness." Nepgear states quietly, obviously mildly freaked out from hearing this.

"Everyone went through varying levels of trauma. Katsuo was one of the main reasons I was able to stay strong during Aincrad. I owe him my life multiple times over. Him and many of my other friends."

"You seem to think of him very highly." Compa says with a smile.

"Katsuo's one of my closest friends; I don't think of him romantically if you're going to ask. Even though we spent a lot of time together since we met, we're more like...brother and sister, not...boyfriend, girlfriend." I say casually, with an embarrassed blush at the rest.

"I can understand that. I consider Ge-Ge to be a sister to me even though we're not related. Though, I don't fully believe you. You know, he came in here the most when you were comatose. He was always so worried about you." Compa says happily, still smiling.

"I-I see. But look, I _do not _think of Katsuo in that way. We're friends, nothing more!" I say in a serious manner, getting the point across that Katsuo and I will never happen.

"Oh really?" Compa asks mischievously.

"I _seriously_ don't think of him that way! I've known Katsuo nearly six years! I don't want us to be any more than friends." I say sternly, I don't want my friends to be divided over a matter as trivial as this, not when we spent six years together. "Anyway uh, I don't want to talk about this anymore. _Where was I…?_ Back in Aincrad...I always presumed I was going to die alone without any family at my side. But I learned something from Mamoru way back then, he told me you can find family among the people you work with. That gave me a new perspective to think about, and I really began opening to my friends around then. Though, my dedication to protect the people I care for made a lot of people consider that I act motherly, even though I don't think of myself that way much."

"Well at least you found a way to help people. But didn't you have moments when you wanted to be on the given end? Where you wanted someone to protect you?" Nepgear asks me.

"Not particularly. I didn't have that luxury back in Sword Art Online. I had to pull my weight as the game's supposedly best strategist even though I was only fourteen. Everyone expected the best of me as leader of Senryaku and as the owner of the unique skill: Sleuth." I say with a deep sigh knowing that everyone had high expectations of me back then and I had to live up to those expectations to get everyone freed. While I was not one to complain, at least in public, I sometimes hated all of the pressure that came with the position I had.

"Oh." Nepgear says with a dejected tone.

"Anyway, as soon as I've had something to eat, I'm going to want to talk with Histoire about something." I say calmly, before thinking of something I want voiced "Hey, I want to ask. How did I survive fifteen days of being comatose when I was bleeding out so badly?"

"Er...that's uh...none of us know how it was possible. You had completely bled out by the time the medics were able to get you treated, but your vital organs were still functioning. I just...um...we were actually getting close to officially classifying you as dead and we'd proceed with our mission as planned." Compa answers with heavy stuttering as she answers my question.

"I-I...if I completely bled out, how in the world am I alive?"

"I don't know to be honest." Compa replies with a simple shake of her head, not knowing how to respond, and the environment is quiet until Ophelia and Yuuki return with food and leave just as quickly.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:30] June 27th 20XX

I finished the food Ophelia and Yuuki brought me and not long afterward, Compa brought a small wash basin, a sponge, and some sort of bottle "It's been a while since you've been cleaned, so let me take care of that. I also need to treat a few scars that you got from from the battle."

After I hear Compa say this, I turn my head toward my arm, sniff a little and I shake my head in minor disgust from the smell "Pee-ew! That smell is disgusting! When did I last have any kind of cleansing?!" I then look toward a nearby mirror and notice that while they seem to have been hidden, I can still see faint signs of every scar my face got during that battle with Judge.

"Er...about four days. We had a rather taxing mission a while ago that exhausted us pretty badly; it kept us away from Planeptune for a while. But let's not think of past events, let's just get you cleaned up."

Compa cleaned me off and applies the tonic to my face, which stings rather bad but I do my best to avoid cringing. She then puts me in a fresh set of new clothing: with me noticing that this new outfit set has a black top, black shorts with a diamond like design on the left side, which oddly has the length of pants, two belts over it, pauldrons with blue gems on the center, a cape underneath the pauldrons, blue socks which appear to have the same kind of gem like what's on the pauldron and my hair color changed to blue, making this set really have a black and blue color set. I'm just relieved that I have a new set of clothes since my old pair basically got torn to shreds. Nepgear then told me about Histoire wanting to see me if I were to get out of unconsciousness. *

"I suppose I ought to go see Histoire now that I've ate."

"That is not necessary, I suspected you were awake when I saw Ophelia and Yuuki running around. Good to see you awake." Histoire says as floats into the room, with her staring at the sword on the table "W-What the? I thought that sword was stolen! How did it get here?" Histoire nearly shouted when she asked this question.

"Glad to be awake. Did anything happen while I was comatose?" I ask curiously, wanting business to start, though I am forced to put that plan on hold for a brief moment to answer Histoire's question "I'm not certain to be honest. It just showed up here."

"I see. Nepgear, Compa, could you both please leave? I wish to talk with Karen privately."

"Alright Histoire. Let's go Compa."

* * *

I see Nepgear and Compa walk out of the room as Histoire floats a little closer to me

"Now that we have our privacy, I wish to inform you of our next step: We plan on recruiting the Mascot characters of the four nations here to help build up power so we can fight ASIC. Nepgear and everyone else did not desire to proceed without you if the option existed, so we've been focusing on gathering intelligence on where Planeptune's mascot character is and building our shares for the upcoming rematch in the graveyard while you were recovering. We know where the Mascot is, so as soon as you are ready, I would like for you to go with Nepgear, IF, and Compa to the Virtua Forest Depths."

"What about Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, and Shino?" I ask curiously, wondering how they'll be involved in the upcoming trek.

"Katsuo and Kazuto have set up camp outside the Virtua Forest at my request a day ago, they'll link up with you four when you enter the Forest. Mamoru and Shino are out west investigating unusual rumors of new monsters and I plan on sending Yuuki out there soon to aid them."

"Very well." I say as I walk about a little, trying to get my legs used to walking again.

"Wait, before you head out, I wish to give that sword to you as thanks for saving Nepgear. I wasn't able to give this to you because you were unconscious. I was going to give it to you before you woke up but since you already seem to have it. I guess that it doesn't matter."

"Why are you giving me this sword Histoire? It looks extremely important."

"You deserve a reward for your accomplishments, it is also consolation from the injuries you suffered from rescuing Nepgear. Your friends: Kazuto and Katsuo have received gifts as well. This weapon was created and used by a CPU who ruled Planeptune many years ago: Caelus. She entrusted it to me before she perished. I give you her sword: Celeste to you in good faith, I know you will give it the justice it deserves."

"Many thanks, I will not disappoint you Histoire." I say with a bow. "Actually, what about Falcom?" I ask, since Histoire hasn't mentioned her.

"Falcom has volunteered to head to Lastation to gather information on Lastation's Mascot Character ahead of us. By the time you retrieve the Planeptune Mascot Character and head to Lastation, she may know where that character resides."

'Thank you for everything Histoire. We ought to get going." I bow once again, this time in appreciation as I put the sword's sheath around my belt. "Actually I want to ask you something Histoire." I say, remembering what Histoire said about the sword.

"What is it Karen?"

"You said that this sword was used by a CPU? Caelus?" I ask, wanting to try getting a few parts of the puzzle solved.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"What happened to that CPU?"

"She died many, many years ago, why do you ask?"

"Uh...are you sure?" I ask, knowing that something's not right. Histoire presumed that the sword was stolen which meant that she had it somewhere she considered safe. The fact that Nepgear and Compa said that the sword materialized in my hand is suspicious itself. I know that this sword feels exactly like the one I had in my 'dream' and a woman said that the sword '_considers us both its rightful owner_' and Histoire said that the sword belonged to Caelus, one of these Console Patron Units like Nepgear and those other four in the Graveyard. But if that woman was Caelus, why did she say that I'm also its rightful owner? Is it because of how she said '_Since my soul entered your body, this weapon considers us both its rightful owner._' Considering that Compa said I had completely bled out by the time the medics began treating me yet I somehow survived for two weeks and a day. Looks like I owe Caelus my life.

"Absolutely. She entrusted her sword to me before she went into battle and she never returned. I don't know how long ago it was off the top of my head, but it was a _very_ long time Karen."

"Well Histoire, you may not believe me, but I had a dream or something a little while ago. I was fighting some woman who said she merged her existence with mine to sustain her life by saving mine. She also said that I was also the rightful owner of a sword since she did what I mentioned, and well...the feel of this sword is identical to the one in my dream." After I finish this rather uncomfortable revelation, I wait for Histoire to answer as she had her arms crossed in a calm manner, listening to me speak.

"Hm."

"You probably think I'm crazy don't you?"

"Normally I'd say yes, but your story has points where logic flows strong when combined with events I have witnessed."

"What do you mean?" I ask, wondering why Histoire said such a thing, though I'm really thankful she hasn't considered me as a raving lunatic.

"You see, that sword was kept in a top secret underground vault here in Planeptune's Basilicom. No one that's currently alive knew of it save me, and even if someone somehow found it, no one could get into it because of the top secret security programs I had installed into it. I kept a large number of secret artifacts in that vault, that sword being one of them. And despite that, you somehow acquired one of Planeptune's most sacred treasures from our most secure vault. Celeste was created by Caelus' will and she could freely summon it if she so desired. The only conclusion I can come to based on the evidence I have and what you presented to me is this: You must have encountered Caelus in the graveyard and she melded her own life to yours."

"What do you mean Histoire?"

"I am...not certain on this one. If the woman said that the sword considered you as the rightful owner, it definitely does mean that Caelus is alive and is a part of you. This is...er. Look, I'll do what I can to uncover the truth of what's going on here, but for now, I need you to help our world."

"Got it. I'll let you do that." I reply as I get up from the bed and walk out of the room.

"Best of luck Karen. May the goddesses guide and protect you." Histoire says as I walk out.

* * *

POV: Histoire

As I see Karen walk out of the room I float around the room nervously "I wonder if I should've told her about what happens if a Console Patron Unit decides to merge her life with another individual." I ask myself, finding my thoughts being plagued with doubts "I can just tell that things are going to be drastically different once this is finished. Not only did Karen manage to cheat death, what Caelus did will eventually force Karen to take up a new destiny, one she may not even want. If I had any remote inkling of this, I would've forced Karen to stay behind. But if I hadn't, we would've lost her. This is a very troubling predicament. It's too late to try to prevent it, so I guess I will just need to help Karen as much as I can, and try to secure what she'll need."

* * *

POV: General

I nod toward Histoire with a smile before I leave the Basilicom to find IF, Compa, and Nepgear outside, apparently waiting for me to show up.

"Glad to see you're back among the living Karen. Nice outfit by the way." IF says in the same kind of tone I've grown accustomed to from Rika since I met her years ago.

"Likewise. Rejoining the living is a blessing after the injuries I took back in the Graveyard. I thought I would end up dying then and there." I say with a groan, trying not to sound like too much of a downer right now.

"Well aren't you fatalistic. Anyway, let's get moving. We need to find the Mascot." IF says in the same tone.

"Sure, let's go." I reply seriously to IF.

We exit the city and begin our trek to Virtua Forest when IF talks to me a little bit

"Nice sword there Karen, where'd you get it?"

"Long story." I say with a tone making it clear where I don't want to talk about it right now.

"I get your point, I'll ask later."

* * *

Chirper Events:

Lily Rank 3 – Karen + Nepgear

"Ugh, this sword is a little heavy. I never knew that swords could get this heavy, I never had to worry about things like weight in the virtual worlds."

"Are you okay Karen?"

"Depends on what you call okay. Aside from a pistol and the one day I've been awake here, I've never used weapons for real. I did use spears and a rapier once, but that was in Aincrad and Alfheim." I say with a sigh, with my memory flashing back to Vusago Casals in the hospital. I shot him in the chest with the Beretta I held and took his life. That definitely was not one of my happier memories.

"But the way you carry yourself makes it seem there's something else."

"You're perceptive Nepgear, I'll give you that. I'm not proud of myself but...I intentionally took the lives of two people, and I did lead at least a hundred people to death back in Aincrad. Try to cover it as much as you like but I'm as guilty of murder as the people in this one guild named Laughing Coffin. It were a guild full of criminals."

"Karen, I don't know your past, but I know that you are no criminal. No criminal would risk her own life to save me."

"Hehe, thanks for trying to cheer me up Nepgear. I just...It's just tough for me knowing I've been here nearly a month. I know Histoire said time flows differently from this world and Earth; but if time flows faster on Earth; I would never be able to face my friends, who knows if I'd even be able to see them again."

"You have nothing to worry about Karen, we'll make sure you and your friends make it back to your world and make it where you can meet them in a way where they barely notice you were gone." Nepgear smiles while saying this.

"Heh...Arigatou." I smile sincerely at Nepgear trying to cheer me up, with Nepgear keeping a finger near her mouth, feeling confused about my 'unique' speech patterns.

Lily Rank 4 – Nepgear, Compa, IF

IF lightly sighs

"Is something wrong IF? You've been a little off lately." Nepgear asks worriedly.

"It's nothing Gear. It's just that...I'm trying to see things through their eyes. Sure they did agree to help us, but I find it difficult to believe that they're doing this solely for our benefit. I imagine they want to get home as fast as they can, we did take them away from their friends and family after all. I just want to try seeing things as they do instead of my own perspective."

"I do feel bad for Karen and the others. We did force them to help us and abducted them from their friends and families." Compa frowns as she says this.

"Geez, I wanted to have the mindset that everything would be perfectly fine. Now my thoughts are being held up by how we're keeping these guys captive. I feel sick to my stomach thinking about it now." IF sighs deeply, beginning to regret the decision Histoire made.

"I will agree that it's unfair that we're forcing them to help us and how we took them from their world. But we did promise that we'd send them back once they help us." Nepgear interjects calmly.

"Yeah, you're right Gear, we're not going to keep these guys here forever." IF says with a forced smile but her mind is speaking entirely different thoughts "_I wish I could say this but the odds of us being able to get them back to their own world is incredibly low. I know a few people from other worlds who have been here for years and have been stuck here. If anything, it makes it more likely that even if they keep their word, we won't be able to fulfill our end of the deal. I hope I'm wrong and Histoire finds a way to do something. They may easily see us as liars. We ARE liars at this current time. This is not going to end well..._"

* * *

Back to story

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] June 27th 20XX

The four of us: Nepgear, IF, Compa, and myself have made it to Virtua Forest Depths, but we were supposed to link up with Kazuto and Katsuo by now...their absence from this area is worrying me.

"Karen, your friends were supposed to link with us here. Where are they?" IF asks in a slightly pissed off tone.

"That's what I want to know...Katsuo! Kazuto! Respond!" I say through the walkie-talkie Histoire gave me, with it having access to the ones given to Falcom, Mamoru, and the others.

I only get audio silence from Katsuo's communicator, but I do get responses from the others.

"Karen, what's going on?" Mamoru asks worriedly.

"Mamoru, I'm trying to contact Katsuo or Kazuto. They were supposed to link up with myself, Nepgear, IF, and Compa."

"Hmm...we actually lost contact with those two a few hours ago. I just assumed they were outside our communication range. But, if you're contacting me, that's cause for concern. Sorry Karen, but Shino and I are too far away for us to help you." Mamoru says with mixed tones.

"Karen, I'm only an hour away, I'll come reinforce you and find Katsuo and Kazuto." Yuuki says proudly.

"Godspeed to you Yuuki." I say in relief as I shut down the comm channel.

There's an awkward silence between all of us

"Let's go...we have two objectives now. Finding the Mascot Character is our primary objective, finding Katsuo and Kazuto are secondary, not mandatory to our success." IF says rather coldly.

"Why you..." I growl angrily toward IF's ice cold attitude toward my friends, it's as if literal sparks are being made between us "Okay, answer one of my questions IF. What the hell is your problem?! You've been acting like you don't care for the lives of the heroes you all are dependent on!" I say very angrily.

"How would you feel if your home was on the verge of destruction and the only chance you possibly had was to trust foreigners, who would possibly have no desire to truly save your home, doing what you wish solely to return to their own world and for them to possibly take as many shortcuts as possible, making the situation _WORSE_ than it was before!" IF retorts angrily, with me starting to understand her annoyance a little, she is fearful the seven of us won't do what's best for Gamindustri.

"IF, I think I can see why you're angry now. Trusting foreigners with such sensitive situations can be troublesome, even if you know there's no other alternative. Trust me when I say that the seven of us will save Gamindustri from ASIC, the right way." I say, hoping I'm right on this one.

"Exactly, I don't truly have anything against you all. I just...I need to warm up to you all first." IF says quietly, walking further into the dungeon after she finishes speaking.

"Please don't blame IF, Karen. She's just thinking of what's best for Gamindustri." Nepgear says emotionally, with us trying not to fall behind IF's lead.

"I've learned that now. Let's continue onward." I say casually, trying to get used to wielding Celeste instead of my spear.

"Karen, you seem anxious, is something wrong?" Nepgear asks me worriedly.

"I'm not used to using swords. I've always used a spear since I took up fighting with weapons, the only other weapons I used aside from spears were a rapier..._and that Beretta._" I say nervously, since I'll need to adjust to a whole new fighting style, with me muttering the last part under my breath, not proud of it. I hate using weapons that can only take lives upon use, at least with swords, you can easily spare someone's life.

"I imagine it must be challenging to switch styles like that." IF says with a mild frown.

"It is. But I'm trying to get by so I can be of more use to everyone, I noticed in the battle against the dragons that all of these monsters fight in close range, so my spear won't help much." I say with a frown, while pressing forward with the others.

"Karen, don't push yourself solely to be of use to others. You need to care for yourself first." IF says to me worriedly.

"Hehe...you have no idea how many people have told me that. I always try to do whatever I can to protect everyone, even if I have to drive myself to exhaustion." I say casually, with a small laugh at the start.

"Hm, if you really do want to be of more help, you need to start learning skills."

"Uh...pardon?" I ask IF in a very confused tone.

"Oh yeah, you're new to this world and you spent fifteen days comatose. Let me try to explain. Your talents in the graveyard were good considering the circumstances, but you and the others were just swinging your weapons like crazys compared to the norm here. If you want to commit lasting damage, you need special skills you can trigger at a moment's notice."

"How do I get such skills?"

"Ophelia actually developed technology to help such things. Because of how you all aren't native to this world, you can't naturally learn them without extreme training sessions but she gave your friends gauntlets and they've already developed skills based on abilities they had from their world because of their sensory recording programs. According to her, the gauntlets can automatically create skills as time goes on and they're designed to match the wielder's own capabilities."

"But can't that get out of hand after a while?"

"I guess, but she implemented countermeasures in the form of unit limiters. You can only have eight skills recorded to a unit and unless you switch, it stops there."

"Good to know. I wish I was given one of these gauntlets though." I retort with a mild pout, since I'll be at a disadvantage compared to the others.

"How were we supposed to know? You've been comatose for a little over two weeks and we were getting ready to write you off as dead. Ophelia is rather logical and she didn't exactly want to waste resources creating such prototype technology for someone who won't even be around."

We proceed through the dungeon fighting a few monsters along the way, and while Nepgear, Compa, and IF appear naturally adept with combat, I can be considered a bit of a greenhorn though this sword certainly is what was advertised by Caelus in that dream or vision or whatever it was. This is my first time using this sword yet it feels like I've spent years fighting by her side now. I guess that the special power takes effect when the user goes into battle. When we get to the end of the dungeon, I see some sort of rock formation and a person in front of it. I also notice Katsuo and Kazuto unconscious nearby.

"I think that's the Mascot. The way Histoire described it makes it seem so." IF says casually.

* * *

I creep forward a little bit to see that wearing a gray jacket with a mouse eared hood, and I can see a tiny bit of green hair alongside an iron pipe this person is using as a weapon to break that rock formation. I also try to keep quiet as I approach Katsuo and Kazuto.

"Katsuo, you okay?" I whisper quietly.

"K-Karen...gah...dammit." Katsuo whispers in pain as he regains consciousness hearing me speak.

"What happened to you two?" I ask worriedly.

"We set up camp outside Virtua Forest at Histoire's request to await Nepgear's arrival. We were trying to find a way to quickly reach the Mascot with minimal monster confrontation when that girl ambushed us a while ago. She attacked and paralyzed us somehow with that iron pipe of hers...we haven't been able to move at all. Damn...I don't blame you Karen but ever since we saw you nearly die, Kazuto and I have been off our game."

"I see...I'm sorry Katsuo...anyway don't worry, we'll get you two treated as soon as we get that Mascot, just hold tight." I say compassionately, with worry at the start.

I motion to IF, Compa, and Nepgear to move forward, who notice that this person is attacking something repeatedly.

"Stop it! That doesn't belong to you!" Nepgear shouts, trying to stop the person, who's attacking this rock formation.

"Don't bother me brat, who the hell d'you think you are?" The girl says bluntly, turning around to face us.

"What are you doing?" I demanded angrily.

"What do you think moron? I'm killing this Mascot since it's a pain in the ass for ASIC."

"You're a member of ASIC?" IF asks in disbelief.

"My name is Linda, I am the most badass soldier in the entire Arfoire Syndicate of International Crime." Linda says in a prideful tone.

"A soldier? So...like cannon fodder. A peon, or maybe an Underling." IF says nonchalantly, causing Linda to widen her eyes in shock.

"Underling works." Nepgear says in the same tone as IF.

"Pleased to meet you Miss Underling." Compa says in her usual compassionate tone.

"_What is with these girls?_" I say, shaking my head in disbelief.

I can see that this girl: Linda is pretty pissed about being called Underling three times.

"What did you just say?! Who're you calling Underling?!" Linda states angrily.

"I actually feel a little bad for you Linda..." I say with a small sigh.

"Shut up. Just go back to where you came from and get out of our way, you're standing out too much." IF states angrily, opening one of her phones for some reason.

"Miss Underling, please don't try to sabotage us." Compa says in a ditzy tone.

"If our foe here is just an underling, maybe we can defeat her." Nepgear says casually.

"Guys...I don't think that-" I try to say before Linda interrupts me.

"You guys went too far..." Linda growls angrily "That's it! You've pissed me off now, you'll regret calling me that!" Linda says in a very mad tone.

Linda attacks us repeatedly, causing Nepgear to land on her rear end, and forcing IF, Compa, and myself to our knees.

"Dammit...She's stronger than she looks." I say in pain...this officially confirms that I can get hurt for real in this world, as if the battle with Judge didn't prove it enough.

"Haha, where's your witty commentary now? That was too easy, it's time I kill you all one at a time. First girl to die is..."

"Eep." Nepgear says in a whimper.

"You're first pipsqueak." Linda says with an evil smile, about to attack Nepgear.

"Watch out!" IF shouts, intercepting the blow Linda dealt.

"IF!" Nepgear shouts in surprise to see IF risk her life for her.

"Good...I made it in time...You seem okay." IF says with a nervous smile.

"This is hardly fine! Why did you risk yourself like that? I can't do anything..." Nepgear exclaims angrily.

"I did it because I wanted to Gear...besides...I left you and the others to suffer in that graveyard for three years. I was never able to live with myself for it. I never want to feel that way again." IF says with a frown. "I swore to myself I would defend you to the very end, no matter what." IF says with a serious smile.

"_This reminds me a bit of when we met Madoka. Sylvia felt guilty for abandoning her for three years while we were trapped in Aincrad._" I say in my mind.

"IF..." Nepgear says sadly.

"_Gah; I feel so useless...damn it...I'm letting my friends down again! I need to help my them!_" I growl angrily in my mind.

"_**Do you seek power? Power to save those you hold dear?**_"

"_Huh...? Wait, it's you again?_"

"_**Yes, I'm a part of you after all. I have come to give you a temporary boost of power so you can protect your friends. Just like you wanted.**_" The voice says.

"_Why go to such lengths for me Caelus?_" I ask this CPU curiously.

"_**Heh, I guess that you learned about me from Histoire while I was resting. Look, you may be alien to this world, but you hold significant potential. I wish to see how you handle the power I give you.**_"

I begin feeling strange after this statement

"_Urk...what...what is this..._"

I begin losing control of my body when I find myself enveloped by a bright light and I can see my body transform into a form with a futuristic shrine maiden appearance with metallic angel wings. What I find a little strange is that I can't seem to control my body anymore, not even something remotely subconscious like blinking. In addition to that, I can see my body entirely, not just a small arc of perception.

* * *

"What the?! Another CPU?! I thought they all got imprisoned by ASIC!" Linda shouts in surprise to see a new CPU.

"Never underestimate your enemy." I hear Caelus say with a rather angry tone, with her using my body and voice to voice this retort.

"Ah shit." Linda says in defeat.

"Karen...?" IF and Compa say in surprise.

"Prepare yourself! For your life ends here!"

I see my body draw a giant version of Celeste and attack Linda relentlessly. Right when when this CPU would've finished off Linda, I force her to stop, with my body looking paralyzed and holding the sword nearly an inch away from Linda.

"_Stop it! I only wanted this power to defend my friends! Not to kill people, whether they are good or evil!_" I shout to Caelus angrily, I don't want more blood on my hands after I killed Vusago. Once is far too much for me.

"_**You can't afford to be finicky in your convictions. If you hesitate, your life is forfeit. However, this is your body, so I will obey your request. But no one must know you have the ability to become a CPU yet as you are still too vulnerable and inexperienced in this world to handle the power of a Console Patron Unit. The only reason you were capable of pulling this was because I forced the procedure to activate, which does have side-effects. However, I must erase the memory of your transformation from everyone here, but if I try to erase yours, I will suffer for it, so you must keep this secret from everyone. I have to say, I'm surprised that I was able to manually trigger this so soon.**_" Caelus retorts with a very stubborn tone, taking Celeste's pommel and slams it against Linda's forehead when it began to glow a platinum white.

"_Whoa, what the hell are you doing?!_"

"_**Relax, relax. It's a physical representation of the magic I'm using to erase their memories. I refuse to be gentle against our enemies, but I'll spare them unless the situation is different since this is your body and therefore: Your rules. I'll be gentler with the others however.**_"

"_Oh. I see. Thank you for sparing her._" I say in a grateful tone.

"_**It is not important. Know that I will not come bail you out again until you are ready to handle the power of the Console Patron Unit.**_" Caelus states mildly angrily, going to each of my friends and placing my index finger on their foreheads to erase their memory of my transformation, which causes them to pass out.

"_Will my friends be alright? I accepted your power solely to protect them._"

"_**Of course, but certain developments must be done. I must turn back time so Linda will fight against you once again and destroy the mascot. This time, against Nepgear so she can unlock her HDD form. It is crucial that she do so.**_"

"_Why does the Mascot need to be destroyed?! We need it tosave Gamindustri!_"

"_**Calm yourself. The Planeptune Mascot will not be fully destroyed, you'll still be able to claim the power of the Mascot while evading the notice of the CFWs.**_"

"_I don't understand, how would preventing the Mascot's destruction alert the CFWs?_"

"_**Think about your situation Karen Koizumi. If you recover the Mascot at full power, the CFWs will notice and come after you in force. After the experience in the Graveyard, you do not want to go up against any CFW any time soon. You and your companions need more power. Reduce ASIC's shares as much as possible, it will give you a fighting chance when you fight either Judge, Brave, Trick, or Magic. Let the mascot get destroyed and your window of safety will be extended.**_"

Caelus then begins to turn back time, with her leaving one final message in my mind

"_**I cannot afford to have any of your friends having sensations of deja vu and recalling this event. That is why I erased their memory of this transformation. Also, I only had the ability to go back in time twice, and I just used it for the second time, so I can't help you in this way again.**_"

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] June 27th 20XX

The CPU that possessed my body turned back time to before the fight began. I'm faking my injured status to maximize the effect of Nepgear's HDD revival. I'm also hiding the possession I went through from this CPU.

"The hell is with this all-girl soap opera? If you want to die together, I'll be happy to grant your request." Linda sneers angrily.

"I will not let you hurt my friends!" Nepgear says very passionately.

"Glad to see your 'get to business' face Gear. So, think you can beat this girl?" IF says with a small smile.

"Absolutely. We'll win this fight, no matter what!" Nepgear says in the same tone.

"Good to hear. Nepgear, if you need a shock to activate your HDD." IF says quietly. "Use my strength to kick start your HDD." IF says, pulling Nepgear close to her. I close my eyes not wanting to see what they're about to do...if anything happens.

When I open my eyes after hearing a flash or something, I see the CPU we saved back in the graveyard. "_Good for you Nepgear; do what's right this time._" I say with a smile.

"What the hell?! You're a damn CPU?!"

"Make your peace. You will fall, right here, right now!" Nepgear says with pride oozing in her voice.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:30] June 27th 20XX

I saw the battle between Nepgear and Linda go down when I pretended to be paralyzed. When Nepgear finished the battle I 'recovered' from my paralysis and began trying to treat the injuries of everyone else as best I can. I don't have anything I can use to treat Katsuo and Kazuto sadly, because of the special 'Virus' ailment they've been infected with when they were attacked by Linda.

"GAHH! Dammit! You just totally went magical girl on me!" Linda says in shock, with a mild chuckle from me.

"Surrender and retreat. If you do so, I'll forgive you, just this once."

"Yes ma'am...I understand. You honestly me to blabber that! I'll just do what I came to do!" Linda says, rushing to the rock formation holding the Mascot.

"No, stop!"

"Sod off! Screw your damn request! Hiyah!" Linda says angrily, using her iron pipe to smash the mascot character to pieces.

"_You had better be right about this Caelus. We're sacrificing the future of Gamindustri here._" I say in my mind.

I can't hear her however so I'm guessing she truly does not plan on coming again.

"No...the mascot character..." Nepgear says sadly, walking among the shards of the Mascot.

"Hahaha, I'm done here. It's time for me to move on to Lastation. Later losers!"

"Get back here! Dammit she got away." IF growls angrily.

"Do not fret Miss CPU Candidate." The mascot: Purple Disc says serenely. "_You do not need to worry either, I know of your interaction with the CPU: Caelus. I will not tell anyone until the time is right. Although I do not know much about it, Caelus took a significant risk in merging her life with yours. Not only is her life now dependent on yours, your own genetic makeup has been altered, to the point where you will eventually become a CPU as well._"

"_I see. So I'm going to become a CPU like Nepgear?_" I ask curiously.

"_Since Caelus merged with you, yes. While you still need time for your soul and body to adjust to Gamindustri, but when the time comes, you will be able to accept the immense power of a Console Patrol Unit. Of course, the process will be painful if you do not acquire the necessary components beforehand._" Purple Disc says serenely, before moving on to talking with Nepgear.

"H-How are you able to talk?!" Nepgear asks in shock.

"I wasn't fully destroyed, only broken into pieces. I'm slightly angry at the fact I was broken in my sleep however. Miss CPU Candidate, I would like to entrust what remains of my power to you and your allies." Purple Disc says, transferring her power to Nepgear, with me feeling an increase in power as well.

"Amazing...the power of the mascot is this powerful?"

"_Why do I feel stronger as well?_" I ask myself curiously.

"Nepgear, I have no idea what is happening in our Gamindustri since I was in a deep sleep. However, I have little doubt that you and the future CPU will use the remnants of my power wisely." The mascot character says, apparently indirectly referencing me.

"She's gone...geez, that was...exhausting." I say with a few mild pants.

"I'm a little embarrassed over what I had to do to activate your HDD Gear." IF says nervously.

"This is unfair, only Iffy got to be lovey-dovey with Ge-Ge." Compa says with a pout.

"L-Lovey-Dovey...dear god..." I say, developing an embarrassed blush at the mere mention of 'Lovey Dovey'.

"Compa, it wasn't lovey-dovey, it was...never mind, let's go report to Histoire. Let's get outta here." IF says. "Actually, what she did mean by 'future CPU' at the end of that speech? Is there a new CPU somewhere?" IF states, pondering her thoughts.

"Let's not worry about it...Let's..." I try to say, before falling to the ground, the effect of Caelus' time travel apparently had a drastic effect on me though I've never even had the opportunity or inclination with any kind of time travel.

"Karen!" I hear Compa and Nepgear shout in surprise.

"What's the matter with her?!" IF asks worriedly, seeing me being lifted by Nepgear in her HDD form.

Nepgear puts three fingers near my neck which feel ice cold, making me squirm a little bit before I hear her talk.

"Her breathing is weak, but her pulse is just fine. She may have been pushing herself again." Nepgear says anxiously.

"Damn it Karen, you really need to try to learn to cut loose sometimes." IF says with a sigh, taking the walkie talkie from my pocket. "Yuuki, where are you?" IF asks, talking through it.

"I'm outside Virtua Forest, I was chasing a green haired girl, but she got away from me. What's your status?"

"Karen collapsed from exhaustion, Kazuto and Katsuo are infected with viruses and can't move. We're going to get out of this dungeon in a minute, and when we link up with you, we're going to use fast-travel." IF states calmly, though she is holding back mild fear from our conditions.

"Wait, wait, wait...there is..._FAST-TRAVEL_ in this world?! I spent an _hourRUNNING_ here!" Yuuki shouts in a very angry tone.

"It's not as convenient as you think, to use it, you need to enter the town or dungeon at least once. The whole teleport network works by scanning people's biometrics. Like I said, you need to enter a town or dungeon atleast once to use the fast travel network."

"I'll believe you this time, but if you're lying, I am so going to kick your ass IF!" Yuuki shouts angrily.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [18:00] June 27th 20XX

I wake up, finding myself in the same teal colored medical wing, with Nepgear, IF, and Yuuki beside my bed.

"Karen, what happened out there? You suddenly collapsed on us." Nepgear asks worriedly.

"I was just a little tired. If I can get a decent rest, I'll be all better tomorrow." I say, making a little white lie, trying to ease their worries, even a little.

"It's tough for me to believe it since you collapsed on us twice since you arrived but...I'll give you the benefit of a doubt this time." IF says in a slightly worried tone.

"Try to cut her a bit of slack you guys. I've been speaking with the others, and they're all feeling heavy weight on their hearts since they arrived, even myself. We just need time to adjust to this new world." Yuuki says with a small frown.

"But I heard that you guys were trapped in other worlds before, how is this any different?" IF asks curiously.

"First of all...only myself, Katsuo, Kazuto, and Mamoru had that experience and IF; before now, we knew our world was on the other side. During Aincrad and Alfheim, the fact we knew our home was still there and we could one day return kept us going. This time, we're trapped in a different world, and there's no clear indication we can go back." I say rather pessimistically. Although I didn't say that it was absolute freaking hell being trapped in these different worlds, my tone makes it damn clear that while we worked together to keep ourselves from spiraling into depression, our time in virtual reality was among some of our worst experiences.

"Oh." IF says sadly, knowing the full extent of our problem now.

"I'm going to try getting some rest, if you all don't mind." I say sheepishly.

"Karen, I know you've spent a lot of time sleeping here, but I hardly think you should be living in the medical wing. We actually prepared a room for you here in the Basilicom, same with your friends. Ophelia helped us decorate it to your liking since she said she knows you the best out of everyone in your group." Nepgear says calmly.

"I see" I say, with a small nervous laugh following it. "I suppose that since we were childhood friends, she can make such a claim."

"If you need some help walking about Karen, let me know." Yuuki says with concern.

"I think I'll be fine." I say with a meek laugh, trying to ease their concern.

"_You truly are a noble soul, I have repeatedly seen you put others before yourself. While you were resting, I read the reports on you and your friends, you always went out of your way to protect and guide people, while helping them gain the confidence to stand on their own feet and persevere._" Purple Disc says calmly.

"_You make me sound far more noble than I actually was. Sure I was able to truly help a small group of people, but for every person I helped, I caused the death of ten to twenty._" I say quietly.

"_Even so, I know that you have never let your failures stop youfrom doing what was right. You may have been responsible for the deaths of many, but you always pushed forward. That is why you were summoned to this world, your enduring determination in the face of adversity is your strongest gift. You desired to learn the strengths and weaknesses of your foes so you could protect those dear to you._"

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [18:30] June 27th 20XX

The four of us: Yuuki, Nepgear, IF, and myself are outside a purple tinted door not far from the main chamber I first saw Histoire in.

"Karen, as long as you live here in Planeptune, this will be your room." IF says nonchalantly.

"I don't want to impose, I'm fine with staying in that medical wing." I say modestly.

"Karen, do you ever consider desiring more? From what I've seen of ya, you just seem to represent self-sacrifice." IF asks curiously, making a small sarcastic laugh as well.

"I have no problem with making sacrifices for the benefit of those around me."

"Either way Karen, you wouldn't want to disappoint Ophelia, do you? She was the one who oversaw this." IF says with a mischievous tone.

"Curse you..." I say with a little anger over the fact that IF is making a guilt trip over this.

I open the door to find a large room with dark blue walls, with a great deal of futuristic style furniture inside. Despite that, the aura of this room is identical to the one I had back on Earth which does help put me at ease. I suppose Ophelia went to great lengths to make this room feel like home to me.

"Wow." I say, lost for words, entering the room alongside Nepgear, with IF and Yuuki going elsewhere.

"Histoire and Ophelia had a thought that maybe creating an environment from your world would help put you at ease. All of your friends have gone through this as well." Nepgear says calmly.

"I heard we plan to go to Lastation soon, when will that be?"

"We'll go in a few days, Katsuo and Kazuto need time to recover from their viruses. I hear that you three helped saved me alongside Compa, IF, and Falcom. So, I asked Histoire if I could travel with you all specifically. She agreed, but either way, we need to wait for those two to heal."

"Geez, I don't know about Mamoru, Yuuki, and Shino, but god, the three of us are becoming freaking accident prone since we entered this world." I say with a disappointed sigh.

"Karen, is there a reason for that?" Nepgear inquires, apparently wanting to know why that is.

"If I were to guess, it could be because I nearly died back in the graveyard. Seeing a leader go through such a thing can devastate morale." I say, trying to think of a reason why Katsuo and Kazuto, some of our absolute best, have been so off their game since the Graveyard.

"Oh yeah, IF and Compa told me that you were badly wounded and near death." Nepgear says sadly.

"Yeah. It's why I was unconscious for so long after we saved you. According to my memory, Judge was three centimeters away from killing me permanently, it just barely missed my heart." I say sadly.

"Oh my goodness." Nepgear says, panicking somewhat.

"Gomen Nepgear, I didn't mean to scare you." I say apologetically.

"Gomen?" Nepgear asks, tilting her head in confusion.

"It means sorry." I say calmly, before sitting down at the computer desk in this room.

"You have such a strange language." Nepgear states frankly, walking toward me and sitting down at another chair nearby.

"Ehehe...a lot of people say that." I say with a nervous laugh. "Hey Nepgear, could you tell me about this world of Gamindustri? After all, I haven't learned much of this place since I spent a majority of time unconscious...haha." I ask curiously, with a nervous laugh.

"Well, it's a little tough to say, but the first goddess created Gamindustri who knows how long ago. This continent currently is comprised of four landmasses: Planeptune, led by my sister: Purple Heart; Lastation, led by the CPU: Black Heart; Lowee, led by CPU: White Heart; and Leanbox is led by CPU: Green Heart. All four of them are trapped in the graveyard." Nepgear says casually, with her crying at the end.

I get up and lightly embrace Nepgear because of the fact she's crying "Don't worry Nepgear, I will make sure your sister and the other CPUs are freed from ASIC. Although my friends and I were summoned here against our will; We will not give up until they are all free and ASIC is defeated." I say compassionately to the nervous Nepgear.

"You really do act like a big sister or mother Karen." Nepgear says with a small smile.

"It's a blessing and a curse. Not that I mind granted, but at times, I did want someone who could fill a big brother position. Sometimes being the maternal parent was a pain in the ass." I say with a mild sigh.

"Oh, I see. Karen, I know what you said, but um..." Nepgear says, muttering a good bit.

"Speak up Nepgear. If you mutter, I won't be able to understand what you want."

"I...I was wondering if I could be your sister." Nepgear asks me sheepishly.

"A sister...Nepgear, you sure that's what you want?" I ask in mild concern, something like is not something you should do on a whim. I'm actually surprised that Nepgear asked me this. I never really anticipated that this girl would want to be my sister.

"Yes." Nepgear says with a serious nod.

"Hmm; Nepgear, not that I'm not honored, but I'd recommend sleeping on it, I want you to be a hundred percent sure on this. It's not something you can simply undo later on." I say solemnly, starting up the computer to do research on this virus ailment, since I need to know how I can deal with it quickly, especially if we're in combat zones, away from proper medical facilities.

"You may be right." Nepgear says quietly, with Nepgear beginning to leave the room, which I notice.

"Actually Nepgear, if you're heading out, think you could try contacting Ophelia if it's not an inconvenience?" I ask her, since I have a strong feeling that Ophelia's technological expertise will provide what I need.

"Sure, she should be in her room." Nepgear says calmly, walking out.

* * *

I hope that Ophelia can get one of those gauntlets made for me since I'm really at a disadvantage compared to the others. I think I may become a full healer, since my aptitudes in combat is rather pitiful compared to my friends right now, though I may try taking a similar approach to Asuna, who is a Berserk Healer. Of course, considering that I can fight like a master with Celeste in hand, I suppose I have multiple options.

After ten minutes pass, Ophelia walks into the room

"Nepgear said you needed to talk to me, is there something you need?" Ophelia asks casually.

"Ophelia, I was wondering if you could design a gauntlet for me like you did for the others. Like them, I need some sort of edge in this world." I say seriously.

"Sure, I can do that, but I just need a bit of time to adjust one of our existing gauntlets to fit you. But don't worry, now that you're up and about, we'll get you ready to fight in no time."

"Thanks. I was practically useless in battle, I want to rectify that as much as I can."

"No worries. I'll make sure you can properly fight before midday tomorrow."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [20:00] July 1st 20XX

During the last three days while Katsuo and Kazuto were recovering from their viruses, we've been building up Planeptune's Shares to a stable 20%, with ASIC controlling 70%, and the last ten are divided between Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox. I've been training with IF and Yuuki since we got the Planeptune Mascot to build up my stamina and strength with my offensive and magical skills while Kazuto and Katsuo are recovering from their viruses.

Although magic exists in this world, the definition of 'magic' is a lot more technological compared to the standard in virtual worlds like Alfheim that I'm accustomed to. I just finished a training session with IF, with Yuuki and Nepgear watching the both of us. I can't compare to IF's attack speed with her two Qatars, but I'm getting decent at blocking individual strikes with Celeste.

"You impress me Karen, you're getting stronger every day. You nearly kicked my ass last time." IF says with a casual laugh.

"You're being modest, I'm still rusty with swords." I state casually, trying not to sound too egotistic when I talk with her.

"I'm not, you truly are getting better. Though I won't exactly deny your skill is rusty but...that one maneuver you pulled off yesterday was pretty good. How did you do it?"

"Beats me, it just came to my mind and I took a gamble." "_I shouldn't even try to explain how I know that move, she wouldn't believe me even if I told her._" I say in my mind, with her referencing a maneuver I did when Caelus possessed me back in Virtua Forest.

"Karen, if you're up for it, want to try a match against me and Nepgear?" Yuuki asks with an eager smile.

"A two on one? Hardly seems fair but I suppose I'll give it a try." I say with a mischievous smile.

Yuuki and Nepgear enter the dueling ring with IF being the one who spectates this time.

"To make things fun, here." Yuuki says, tossing a sword my way, with me recognizing the sword as Anduril, the sword she uses with her left hand.

I grab the sword to take up a dual sword combat style, though the stance is very clumsy because of the weight of the two swords and the new feel of this style. It also doesn't help that I can only use Celeste so well because of the special magic impregnated into the blade which allows its true owner to fight like a master.

"Urk...heavier than I thought." I say with a moan of handling dual combat "Um...I'll pass." I say nervously, returning the sword to Yuuki.

"Fair enough, we'll stick with single blade combat." Yuuki then casually sheaths Anduril.

We spread out in the ring with Yuuki and Nepgear on one side with myself on the other end. I draw Celeste while Yuuki draws the sword she kept: Arctia, and Nepgear draws her Beam Cutlass.

Nepgear is the first to charge at me, but her style is more generic compared to the ones we use in the virtual worlds back on Earth. She quickly activates one of her skills: Mirage Dance though, which I'm barely able to block from the fact skills are incredibly powerful in this world, and when she finishes the skill, I'm brought into a weakened state, but I'm still plenty strong from all the extensive training I've had over the last few days.

"Impressive Nepgear, but it's time I show you what I've been working on during my training." I say with a smile as I begin to activate the first skill I developed with my gauntlet "Rain of Destruction, come forth from the cosmos! Dark Saber!" I shout, slashing at Nepgear eight times, then I jump back in the air, form an X pattern causing it glow black, followed by a sphere after the X is made, which I then follow with a slam to send it toward Nepgear. When the skill hits her, a dark inferno envelops her, causing consistent and devastating damage to her in this match. After the skill ends, Nepgear is rendered unconscious and forced out of the ring, leaving only me and Yuuki in this training match.

I actually had some inspiration from magic from the Imp race of Alfheim Online and converted it into melee attacks to create this skill.

"You truly are brutal Karen." Yuuki says with a laugh "At this rate, you should be able to handle anything in your way, even those nasty CFWs. But before that, let's see how you fare against me!" Yuuki says proudly.

"Bring it on." I say proudly, with me knowing that she recreated the OSS she had in Alfheim: Mother's Rosario, into an actual skill in this world, with none of the hassle required unlike in Alfheim.

"Flower of Eternal Life, Mother's Rosario!"

"Rain of Destruction, come forth from the cosmos! Dark Saber!"

Our two skills intersect heavily and when they end, we both collapse from the power of those amplified skills. Not long after though, I can see IF and Nepgear approach the both of us

"You both okay?" IF asks rather nonchalantly.

"Hehe, I'm fine." I say with a laugh and a few pants.

"Same here." Yuuki says with a mild pant, but happily as well.

"It's starting to get late, let's eat some dinner and rest for the night." IF says casually.

"Ugh...it's a shame I missed that match. Karen versus Yuuki for real, I'd pay to see that." I hear a voice say from the distance.

I get up somewhat and notice Katsuo slowly walking toward the four of us.

"Katsuo, you're awake!" Yuuki and I say happily.

"I've actually been awake an hour now, but Compa and Histoire only let me walk around a little while ago. Compa actually used her syringe on me twice...ow." Katsuo says casually, and in mild pain at the end.

"I noticed you limping somewhat...did she?" I ask somewhat worriedly.

"Well, it's not the absolute worst area to receive pain but...how do I say it...I got my ass kicked."

"Ooh...ouch..." I say in a depressed tone, knowing where he got injected with the syringe now.

"Yeah. I thought Kana was scary when she got mad. Compared to her, Compa is a nightmare. Why is it that the ditzy girls are the most dangerous?" Katsuo says, shivering in fear.

"Somehow, I'm not fully surprised that Compa would try something like that. She's very serious about her work as a nurse." IF says seriously.

"I learned that the hard way." Katsuo says sadly, rubbing his rear end.

"Anyway, I need to get to sleep, I've been training my ass off." I say, yawning a little.

"Agreed, since Kazuto and Katsuo are feeling better, we'll need to head out tomorrow morning, we've been giving Underling too much time, she could've already found the Lastation Mascot." IF says worriedly.

"Well, I've been considering something Shino said a while back, or rather, before I went into battle at the graveyard, if this world truly does works like a video game, the further you get, the more difficult it becomes to get the thing you're looking for. Besides, enemies like Linda only ever manage to destroy one max." I say confidently. My parents run a video game graphics company so I naturally would be expected to know a fair deal about games.

"Hmm...perhaps you're right, besides, I hear that Mascots are extremely well hidden from everyone, even from Oracles." IF says nonchalantly.

"If you're worried about the Mascot, why don't you contact Falcom? You guys sent her to find it right?"

"Good point, but either way, she'll probably be sleeping right now." IF states calmly.

"Speaking of which; I seriously need rest." I say, before walking to my room.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [6:00] July 2nd 20XX

The six of us: Myself, Kazuto, Katsuo, Nepgear, IF, and Compa are in the inner sanctum of the Basilicom, facing Histoire, Mamoru, Yuuki, Ophelia, and Shino. The six of us are about to leave Planeptune to go to the nation of Lastation to the east of here.

"It's been a while coming, but we're finally about to begin the next phase of the operation against ASIC. I need you six to go to the nation of Lastation and link up with Falcom, then find the Mascot. I need Mamoru, Yuuki, and Shino to remain here in Planeptune to perform quests to increase the shares available for the nations of Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox, while trying to reduce ASIC's shares as much as possible. Build their global shares up to fifteen percent minimal, doing so will allow the CPUs to recover their strength quicker when they are freed." Histoire says calmly.

"Histoire, do you have any idea how long Karen and the others will be gone on this assignment?" Mamoru asks casually.

"It'll take a few weeks to reach Lastation by ship. Falcom informed us that she does not know the location of the mascot, but she is searching potential sites based on what you all uncovered during the search for Planeptune's Mascot Character. Ultimately, this journey may take up to six months depending on how long it takes to find the Mascots."

"A few _weeks_?! Histoire, we need to find these mascots fast. Can't you simply open another portal? That'd save us tons of time. And if it takes weeks to get to Lastation, why can't we simply go on foot like Falcom?" Katsuo nearly shouted when he heard of the time needed to reach Lastation.

"Normally I could open a portal for you all to get to Lastation instantaneously, but it would consume a significant amount of Shares, and we need to maintain as much power as possible until we recover the CPUs. I am sorry, but we cannot afford to waste Shares freely. And to answer your second question, CFW Magic and Brave have set up a barricade of the surrounding regions in addition to the fact that Falcom didn't go on foot, she fast-traveled since she's been to Lastation."

"Histoire, forgive me if my knowledge is wrong on this, but can't we simply make a new CPU to make things simpler for us all?" I ask curiously.

"I have never heard someone 'becoming' a CPU before, all of the CPUs have always been as such, but then again, my memory of the days of old would need time to recall. I should investigate the matter." Histoire says, putting a finger on her chin, pondering the thought.

"Karen, all of you, before you leave, I need to give you these." Ophelia says, pulling out four gauntlets and three computer chips.

"What are those for?" IF asks curiously.

"These gauntlets are improved versions of something we used in Earth's virtual worlds. I upgraded the original prototype designs with new features I placed in these computer chips. I wanted to give something familiar to my friends, the way you trigger these is the same as Aincrad and Alfheim. It took a lot of time to make it work that way, but I perfected it for these. Alongside the virus cure schematics, I've been developing these ever since I was placed in the research team."

Ophelia installs the computer chips into the dark red gauntlet that Katsuo owns, Kazuto's black gauntlet, and my own; while giving the violet one to Nepgear, the blue one to IF, and the orange one to Compa. She then inserts the computer chip into my silver gauntlet. There is also a bright red one as well, with me wondering who she made it for.

"Those computer chips will upgrade your gauntlets' computer programs to that of the others and will allow me to remotely install upgrades to all of your gauntlets from the comfort of the lab here in the Basilicom. Each gauntlet has a portable communicator and many other features that I can inform you of later. That spare gauntlet is for Falcom when you find her, you can also use these gauntlets to freely communicate with any of us." Ophelia says calmly.

"Why are you giving us these Ophelia? We can learn skills naturally." IF inquires, staring at her gauntlet with figurative stars in her eyes however.

"You guys need all the help you can get."

"Best of luck all of you. Mamoru, I'll leave you in charge in my absence." I say with a bow.

"Don't you worry. I'll be sure we're all in one piece when you return from your journey."

The six of us depart the room after giving our farewells to head to Planeptune's docks so we can take a ship to Lastation.

* * *

POV: Histoire

"Hmm...I think I may like that challenge." Ophelia states quietly and optimistically.

"What challenge?" Mamoru asks curiously, seeing stars in Ophelia's eyes.

"I have two inventions I'll need to make while Karen's away. I want to find a way for us to return to Earth without depending on the power of Shares, the second is to find a way, if possible, to create Console Patrol Units. Histoire, if possible, I would like for you to tell me as much about these CPUs, it could help."

"I will need time to determine if such things are even possible. While I do so, do what you've been doing before now."

"Sure. Yuuki, Shino, and I will head out within the hour to start doing quests to build up Shares." Mamoru says casually.

"Complete as many quests as possible, and if there truly are no more, I will send you to Lastation to handle quests there. You will travel together and build up shares while your friends handle finding the mascots."

"That seriously makes it seem like they have the easy end of the stick. While we're working our butts off doing quests, all they need to do is wander until they find the Mascot." Shino says with a small sigh.

* * *

Author's Notes: The outfit I described is in my photobucket and if you look through the pictures I have there, you can quickly find the concept that I'm drawing upon.


	5. Chapter 4: Journey to Lastation

Now that things have finally begun calming down; Nepgear, Karen, IF, Katsuo, Compa, and Kazuto have left the Planeptune Basilicom to head out to the nation of Lastation.

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the words that I write and the characters that I create. Credit goes to the original creator of the SAO universe; credits also to the creators and contributors to the Hyperdimension Neptunia series._

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [7:30] July 2nd 20XX

We've gone to the docks that Histoire specified, to find a rather large ship bearing a flag which I've seen a few times in the Basilicom.

"Nice, Histoire managed to get us a Guild ship!" IF says in an excited tone "With this ship, it won't take as long as we feared."

"I trust that this ship is good?" I ask, and I can only guess that considering her excitement, the ship must be high quality.

"Yeah. Guild ships are the absolute fastest. Nothing else can even come close. Let's get moving though, we're burning daylight."

The six of us board the ship when we encounter what appears to be the captain of the ship.

"IF, I see you and your companions have arrived. We're ready to depart at any time." The captain states calmly.

"Excellent. Set sail immediately, we need to get to Lastation."

"Understood." The captain says calmly, walking away to the bridge.

"So, what should we do until we arrive at this Lastation?" Kazuto asks calmly.

"Whatever you want." IF states nonchalantly.

"Hm, I'm going to walk around the ship." Kazuto says quietly, walking away from us.

"I'm going to try finding something to do. Later." Katsuo says, walking away as well.

"IF, Nepgear, want to practice? I want to train daily to stay in shape." I ask nonchalantly, actually beginning to like the idea of daily training. Back on Earth, I found it troublesome and after the incident with Vusago in the hospital, I developed a bit of a phobia of real life weaponry. But now, I think I'm slowly starting to get used to real weapons.

"Not that I don't have anything against daily training, but I'll pass this time." IF says, walking away as well, with Compa walking with her.

"I'll train with you sis. I need to keep in shape too." Nepgear says casually, with a smile.

"Glad to hear it. Let's try to find a duel ring or something, worst case, we fight out on the deck."

"Okay, sister." Nepgear says happily.

"Heh...I still need time to adjust to that." I say with an embarrassed laugh, developing a slight blush "_She told me she slept on it and still wanted to call me a sister. I'm wondering if this is sincere or if she just needs this as a way to cope with how her real sister is in the graveyard. I'm not sure if I want to ask her such a question right now...it might be better until after we save the CPUs, but by then...would it be too late?_" I ask myself sadly. I hate feeling this way, since I feel like I have to accept what feels like fake compliments or I risk hurting Nepgear. I thought that keeping Senryaku together was difficult since Hikaru, Sylvia, and Katsuo were bickering quite a few times in Aincrad and it fell to me (and later on Keiko and Rika) alone to stop their fighting before things got out of hand.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:00] July 2nd 20XX

We walk through the ship to try finding any rooms we could use as a dueling ring. While we're walking, I notice that Nepgear has a pretty big smile on her face, which I'm guessing is because I've been doing my best to comfort her since her sister is still imprisoned, that or the coping thing, or maybe both.

"_The closest thing to this I've dealt with was when Haruka lost her foster parents...and I was not motherly in the slightest way back then. That should sound positive to me, but...it doesn't._"

We encounter IF and Katsuo outside a pair of rooms, which I suspect is that the rooms they'll be in during the cruise to Lastation.

"Ah, IF, is there a duel ring on this ship or anything? It'll be a little...awkward for us to fight on the open deck." I ask curiously.

"Down the hall, third door on the left, the captain just told me of it."

We head into the room specified, with Katsuo following the two of us, with him saying

"I missed out yesterday during your training match. I want to see how powerful you've become without the fear of possibly getting my ass kicked to kingdom come."

We go inside the room and quickly start our training, with me planning on showing a new move I've recently developed, though I haven't had the chance to truly use it before now. I really need to thank Ophelia when I return to Planeptune for this gauntlet. It's allowed me to create skills I've never thought imaginable, though I have not fought Kazuto and Katsuo, some of the strongest people in the group, so I do want to see how I'd fare against them when I get the chance. Though I want to give the both of them the chance to build up their strength from all of the medical rest we've endured.

"Best of luck Nepgear." I say with a confident smile as I draw Celeste.

"Same to you." Nepgear says, exchanging the same smile, drawing her new Beam Buster Neo.

We quickly exchange strikes with me getting nowhere until I unleash the skill: Dark Saber.

"Rain of Destruction, come forth from the cosmos! Dark Saber!" I say, unleashing the same skill like before, however, Nepgear dodges the attack this time.

"Nice try, but you won't get catch me off-guard with the same attack twice!"

"Really now? Maybe I should test a new one I've been hiding up my sleeve." I say with a mischievous smile.

"Eh?" Nepgear says in a mild whimper.

"Rain of Purity, come forth from the horizon, Lambent Blast."

When I activate this skill, Celeste is enveloped by a bright light, which turns it into a rifle colored white and blue, which I shoot six times at the ground around Nepgear in a large radius, which quickly creates a barrier that raises around her and when she's trapped, dozens of small rifles appear from all over the barrier and attack Nepgear repeatedly, which destroys her Guard Gauge after a dozen hits, when I call off the match. I see that Nepgear fell on her rear end after the barrage, so I offer a hand to pull her up.

"Ugh...my head's a little dizzy." Nepgear says faintly.

"Go lay down if you feel faint Nepgear."

"Sure."

Nepgear walks down to a bench to lay down, while Katsuo gets up and walks toward me.

"Nice work Karen." Katsuo replies with a friendly fist bump, congratulating me on the match.

"Thanks Katsuo. I suppose I ought to wait on training further, I did exert a lot of energy using those two skills in such a short time. Keep an eye on Nepgear until she recovers. I'm going to head to my room."

"Alright." Katsuo states nonchalantly, though I sense a hint of disappointment in his voice; maybe he wanted to challenge me as well.

I depart to my room to take a little rest, as I've exerted a lot of energy from those two skills, particularly my Lambent Blast, since it requires nearly triple the energy needed to execute the first time with these gauntlets. Considering that, it's better to test new skills casually and not in the middle of battle.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [18:00] July 2nd 20XX

My 'short rest' was much longer than I anticipated as I look at a clock on the wall in my room, to see it's six in the afternoon.

"Uh...wow...I was asleep much longer than I was hoping for."

"Tell me about it."

I hear someone say that, and I turn my head to the right to see Nepgear and Katsuo sitting down on chairs near my bed.

"You really must've been tired. Maybe your constant training was building up your fatigue." Nepgear continues with a small frown of concern.

"Don't let it bother you Nepgear. This beats passing out in every way, atleast I fell asleep voluntarily." I say with a nervous chuckle. Considering that I passed out once and was almost killed since coming here, falling asleep of my own volition is a significant improvement.

"I suppose you have a point there."

"Anyway, I suspected you may be hungry, so I brought you some food." Katsuo says, walking toward a table and bringing it toward me.

"Arigatou, this'll be the first time I ate today since we left Planeptune so suddenly." I say, taking a bite of this food.

Thankfully, Nepgear doesn't tilt her head in confusion anymore when I speak the occasional japanese.

"Hey Karen, you've been getting a lot closer to Nepgear lately, what's up?" Katsuo asks curiously.

"It's recent, but I wanted to be Karen to be my big sister, and she agreed." Nepgear states casually.

"Nani?!"

"It's a long story." I say calmly, not wanting to talk about this right now.

"Talk about a shock stirring up the blood stream." Katsuo says as he lightly hits his chest to try calming his heart down.

I finish the food Katsuo brought rather quickly, then I walk toward the computer to do a little research. I activate the holo viewer to contact Planeptune's Basilicom, and luckily, Ophelia responds straightaway.

"Karen, I'm glad you called, things have been so boring since you left." Ophelia says with a mild laugh.

"Hehe, I guess I should feel honored. Anyway, were you able to do what I requested?" I say with a small smile at the start, and seriously at the rest.

"We still need more time, what you asked for is still an unknown variable for us, but don't worry, give us a few days and we'll be able to create a counter-measure." Ophelia states seriously.

"Excellent, we'll need that counter-measure if we get that ailment inflicted again. Until we find a way to treat it using a skill, we're forced to wait for it to wear off naturally." I state seriously.

"I understand, we'll find a way to deal with it, but just give us some time." Ophelia says with a small sigh.

"Best of luck." I say, before ending the call.

I continue working on the computer to see if I can make any progress on my end.

"What was that about?" Katsuo and Nepgear ask in unison.

"I'm consulting Ophelia to create a way to cure that virus ailment you and Kazuto were infected with back when Linda attacked you."

"Oh, yeah, that was a pain in the ass...I wasn't able to move at all with that virus ailment in effect." Katsuo says with a sigh, remembering how easily he fell to that surprise attack "Karen, Nepgear, I'm going to get some rest. Later." Katsuo says quietly, walking out of the room.

"I need to rest myself Nepgear. If you wouldn't mind...think you can give me privacy?"

"Sure, good night sister." Nepgear says with a smile, walking out as well.

I sigh a bit before saying "I don't know if I'll ever get used to that." I yawn a little afterward "I guess I need more sleep."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:30] July 23rd 20XX

During my sleep, I can feel Caelus surface in my soul. I guess she wants to talk again based on the aura I'm sensing from her, though it's shifting rather frequently between purple, red, and brown.

"_**I have to say Karen Koizumi. Your training sessions are giving you the physical requirements to handle Hard Drive Divinity. We just need to find a few items to finalize the procedure.**_"

"_Caelus, I want to ask. Why do you want me to be a CPU so bad? I won't deny that you saved me and I owe you a debt for that, but from what I picked up, these Goddesses are very important to Gamindustri._" I ask, trying to get some sort of explanation on why Caelus is this determined.

I hear a faint sigh before I hear Caelus speaking up "_**Okay...that's fair to ask. Look, there are...multiple reasons why I'm pushing for this Karen Koizumi. One is that I was born a CPU and while I admit that my time has come and gone, I don't want to lose my powers. While I only know that me merging my life with yours saved me and practically made me human, I can only pray that somehow, I can use even a fraction of my power. Though if I were forced to choose, I'd rather have my life than my powers. But putting that aside, it's an unfortunate inevitability, but me merging with you will make you a CPU, no matter what.**_"

"_I see, but I want to ask Caelus. Why me of all people?_"

"_**You were the only one I could reach out to Karen Koizumi. Besides, as a Console Patron Unit, I have standards that need to be fulfilled, even if I was going to die. Besides, there's something about you that I really like.**_"

"_What about me do you like?_" I ask, wondering what about me that Caelus appears fond of.

"_**Hm, I…misspoke. It's more like… I can see similarities between us.**_"

"_Similarities? You're not making any sense here Caelus._" I say, feeling even more confused about what she's trying to say.

Caelus sighs and says "_**Look, I don't know what to say in this situation. I've never had this much close interaction with humans before. I only spoke with my oracle and my fellow CPUs when I had a physical form, before I merged with you. My oracle relayed my messages to my staff and people.**_"

"_I...see. How have you gotten by after so long?_" While it may be the wrong time to bring it up, but it feels kinda weird talking with someone like this: Talking through dreams.

"_**It hurt. I can't say much more than that. From the day I went to fight Arfoire to the day before you found me, I was all alone; no one to talk with. As distant as I was, any person would go delirious after spending so many years trapped in a place as dark and depressing place like the Graveyard. Look, um...It's a little tiring maintaining a presence this long. I need to sleep.**_"

I can feel Caelus' presence vanish, which makes me sigh in both relief and pity.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:45] July 23rd 20XX

I wake up slowly after this to find Katsuo and Nepgear in my room...again.

"Okay, seriously, don't you two have your own rooms?" I ask in both anger and shock.

"Don't blame me for this, Nepgear dragged me along. She said she felt another CPU nearby and noticed it from your room."

"_She must have somehow sensed Caelus._" I say in my head, before I look toward the pair "I actually need to speak with Histoire about something private. Think the both of you can give me privacy?"

"Sure I guess." Katsuo shrugs casually, walking away with Nepgear in tow.

I start up the computer in this room so I can activate the holo-viewer and talk with Histoire. When I open it, Ophelia is the one who responds to my call.

"Morning Karen."

"Morning, I was actually hoping to speak with Histoire. Is she nearby?"

"She's in the room with me. Histoire! Karen needs to speak with you!"

Ophelia vanishes from the sight of the holo-viewer and Histoire appears in her place.

"What did you wish to ask me Karen?"

"Histoire, I want to ask about...that person I mentioned before."

I see a grave emotion appear on Histoire's face after I reference Caelus.

"I do not wish to speak of such things in this room. Give me a moment to go to a private chamber." Histoire states seriously, before vanishing from the holo viewer, and reappearing a few minutes later.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:00] July 23rd 20XX

"Why do you ask about Caelus? Did you have another vision?" Histoire says seriously.

"I guess you can say that. The first time I spoke with her was during my unconsciousness, and she keeps trying to make me a CPU for reasons I don't understand."

"That's...unexpected. She was the wisest of all the CPUs of her generation, so I suppose I should have anticipated she would have a back-up plan in case Arfoire was not defeated." Histoire states in shock in the beginning, and casual thinking at the rest. "Karen. Caelus is a very intelligent soul, if she thinks you are capable of being a CPU, then you do have the potential. Especially since Caelus was the one who made all of the CPUs of her generation, though she ultimately was forced to fight Arfoire alone since Arfoire slayed all of her sisters. It's entirely possible that Caelus thinks of you as a twin sister, since your personality and history is nearly identical to hers."

"Histoire, Caelus hardly seemed like me when she possessed my body to activate HDD back in Virtua Forest." I say bluntly.

"Karen, look. Caelus suffered greatly when she fought Arfoire. She considered all of the CPUs of her generation as little sisters, and she experienced all of their deaths, her personality may have degraded from the shock of losing her family in addition to the centuries if not millennia of existence."

Around now, I see an apparition appear next to me, mimicking my own appearance but with the parts of the HDD form I took when Caelus possessed me.

"_**Histoire, it's been ages. Although it's a risk, I believe that it's worthwhile to risk using what little strength I have to reveal myself to you here.**_" Caelus says quietly.

"Caelus, how have you survived over the years?"

"_**I was in very bad shape and close to death when I sealed Arfoire away, I wouldn't have survived the trek to Planeptune, so I reduced myself to disc form to reduce the energy needed for my survival and hid in the graveyard when I sealed away Arfoire. I then spread the story that I perished in battle in case any of Arfoire's followers survived and tried hunting me in my weakened state. I was able to hide my presence because of how my energy blended with the environment. However, I would've lost my life by now if it wasn't for Karen Koizumi since my energy reserves were about to run out, I had half a percent left. If she was a day or even a few hours late, I would have perished. When she was struck by Judge, I took advantage of the chaos to merge with her and make her my 'host' to maintain my life force. Despite what I hoped for, I know that my own power as a CPU will not increase because of how I have no followers left in my faith, but me being a part of her soul ensures I will survive as long as she lives atleast.**_" Caelus states with a few pauses, as she voiced a mouthful, even for a CPU.

"So...you're like a parasite or leech, taking my own life to maintain yours?" I ask curiously. I can only pray that isn't the case since Caelus just saved my life and I don't want her killing me just to keep herself alive.

"_**No. I do not draw energy from your life to fuel mine. You are me, and I am you. We are two sides of the same entity now, the amount of life you carry is the same as mine now.**_"

"I can't bring myself to believe that."

"_**I don't care if you believe it or not, it is the truth.**_"

"Caelus, remember that the two of you are alike in many ways, particularly, your stubborn attitudes." Histoire states, butting in to our conversation to apparently stop any potential hostilities between myself and Caelus "In addition, you are aware of how merging your own existence with Karen will ultimately alter her own genetics to become a CPU...right?" Histoire asks.

"_**I know Histoire. I don't know everything about this topic but I know that Karen Koizumi will end up becoming a Console Patron Unit like myself. We should make this as painless as possible and find a CPU Memory. If we can get one of those, my own power as a Goddess should automatically make Karen a true CPU.**_"

"Caelus, I know CPU Memories were plentiful back when you were a CPU, but the secret to making or even finding a CPU Memory was lost."

"Histoire, try asking Ophelia, she may know a way to find or create one of these CPU Memories. Considering how she was able to create these gauntlets, I imagine she should be able to pull off something like this."

"I'll begin searching to see if we could find any CPU Memories naturally. If I am unable to find such information, I'll consult Ophelia to construct one artificially. But for the time being, focus on gathering the Mascot Characters." Histoire states calmly.

"Got it Histoire. We won't let you down."

"Also, Mamoru, Yuuki, and Shino have reported last night that there are no more quests being made available here in Planeptune. They are on their way to Lastation as we speak on foot since CFW Magic and Brave have taken down the barricade dividing Planeptune and Lastation; they will be in in Lastation about a week after you arrive there. They are going to handle doing quests and gathering information alongside Falcom in Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox. While they work on gathering shares and information, you focus your full attention on finding the Mascot."

"Understood. Is there anything else Histoire?"

"Yes, there is one last thing. Seek out the CPU Candidates in Lastation and Lowee. They may be willing to assist you, but I am not certain. However, they may desire the same thing your group is: Saving the CPUs."

"After what the six of us experienced out there, we'll need an army to rescue the CPUs, that or a really good team. CFW Judge tore through us like wet tissue paper last time."

"As long as you lower ASIC's Shares, you all will be fine."

"I shouldn't keep you. Histoire, I'll contact you when we find the Mascot."

"Keep me informed." Histoire says with a small smile, before I deactivate the holo-viewer.

The holo-viewer shuts down and I'm left alone with Caelus.

"What do you intend to do now Caelus?"

"_**I'm going to return to your soul. Maintaining this apparition is taxing for me, it's annoying that I can't maintain a physical form permanently yet.**_" Caelus says with a sigh, before vanishing. "_**If you need to speak with me, I'll try to be available. However, I do need to hide myself from that CPU Candidate: Nepgear, as I need to maintain secrecy until the time is right. Keep this secret, but when Nepgear sensed me, I was getting nervous. In my weakened state, I cannot afford to give out trust freely. Histoire is the sole exception aside from you.**_"

"I've actually learned a lot about you Caelus. I'm curious, would you be willing to tell me more about yourself and the CPUs of your generation?"

"_**I don't want to talk about them, they were my sisters and I saw them painfully die to Arfoire. Just...please don't make me think of that time.**_" Caelus says very sadly.

"I won't push the issue if you don't want to talk about it."

"_**Thank you. Look, ****I can sense Nepgear approaching. I need to vanish for now.**_" Caelus states worriedly before I sense her presence hiding.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:30] July 23rd 20XX

I hear a very light knock on the door which I guess is Nepgear after hearing Caelus mention such a thing. Over the last few days during my training, my sense of hearing has been trained to when I was in Aincrad and Alfheim so I can hear much more than when I first arrived in Gamindustri.

"Come in." I say, pretending I don't know who it is.

The door opens and Nepgear walks in

"Wow...I barely knocked and you heard it." Nepgear says in mild surprise at my perception.

"Is there something you need Gear?" I ask curiously.

"Actually yeah, Falcom told us that she arranged a meeting with Lastation's Oracle for us when we arrive." Nepgear says in a calm, yet serious tone.

"Good to know. Anyway; Yuuki, Mamoru, and Shino are on their way to Lastation too. They'll be handling quests for us while we actively search for the Mascot, though until they arrive, we have to handle them."

"We ought to let Katsuo, Kazuto, IF, and Compa know of that then."

We leave my room to inform the others of the update with Yuuki, Mamoru, and Shino.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] August 2nd 20XX

We've left the Guild ship and find ourselves in the industrial yet clean capital of Lastation, with the color black being dominant in all of the buildings, roads, and landscapes in this city. The aura of this town is similar somewhat to Planeptune and so far, this city feels familiar to Tokyo, where we've been living since we left Alfheim. Nepgear has stars in her eyes when we enter the main plaza which Compa and I notice rather quickly.

"Wow, Lastation sure does look like a place chocked full with industrial machinery." Nepgear says with her apparently being rather psyched about being here.

"Is this your first time to Lastation Ge-Ge?" Compa asks casually.

"Yeah it is, sometimes Neptune would bring me things from here saying they were 'future-proof'. It all sounded like a lot of fun, since I'm here now, I really want to look around town." Nepgear says happily.

"Keep the shopper stereotype locked up for now Gear. We have a ton of business to take care of." IF says in a serious, yet upbeat tone.

"R-Right. We need to work just as hard as we did in Planeptune, since Lastation is in danger as well. I'll hold off on window shopping...for now." Nepgear says in a mildly nervous tone.

"Hey Nepgear, everyone!" I hear the friendly voice from the familiar red-headed warrior, who is running toward us.

"Falcom, It's been a while." IF says casually.

"That it has. Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, I'm glad you three are okay. I heard that you've gone through all sorts of trouble since I left."

"Don't remind me..." Katsuo says in mild annoyance.

"Anyway, I scheduled a meeting for you guys with Lastation's Oracle, she'll meet with you all in one hour. Until then, we're free to do what we wish." Falcom says casually.

"Since we have some free time, I'm going to go look around town." Nepgear says happily, beginning to take off.

"Nepgear! Get back here!" I say in mild annoyance, chasing after her.

"Hey! We shouldn't be-" IF says in shock and in defeat, seeing me and Nepgear already long gone. "Separating...damn it. I hope Karen's able to keep her focused, making Lastation's Oracle mad is not wise for anyone." I was able to hear this last part before turning a corner.

* * *

We've gotten ourselves lost in the city complex of Lastation and considering how massive this city is, trying to find Katsuo and the others will be impossible using conventional methods at this point.

"Nepgear! Stop already, before we get even more lost!" I say seriously, sounding even more like a parent, to my mild dismay, with her thankfully stopping at this point.

"Sorry...I let my eagerness get over me. Sorry about taking off." Nepgear says apologetically.

"Atleast you learned your lesson...now let's contact IF and the others."

I activate the gauntlet's communication system to get ahold of everyone.

"Katsuo, everyone, sorry about taking off on you all." I say apologetically.

"It's no problem Karen, where are you?" Katsuo says nonchalantly.

I inspect the surroundings to find some sort of noticeable landmark, to find none nearby.

"I don't know, there's nothing here I can recognize and give out that can help. IF, Compa, please give me something to work with, I'm as lost as a puppy wandering through a city the size of Manhattan and Kyoto combined!" I say with mild frustration.

"I don't get the analogy one bit. But try to find the Guild here in Lastation, we can meet up there in a half hour."

"Got it IF. We'll try to find our way to the Guild." I say before disconnecting the communication between us. "Mataku...come on Nepgear, let's try to find the Guild." I say in mild anger.

"Okay." Nepgear says in a dejected tone.

We walk around the city rather aimlessly when after about fifteen minutes pass, a black haired girl wearing a black dress with milky blue lining and a circle with white lining connecting the dress to her neck collar, approaches us and begins speaking to us

"Excuse me miss, are you lost?" I hear a young girl say in my direction.

"Um...are you referring to me?" I ask the girl curiously.

"Yes, are you and your daughter lost?" The girl repeats in a friendly tone, though I outright blush when she mentions the term daughter, since I'm still a young teenager, though I've learned long ago you can't judge people by appearance.

"Uh...She's not my daughter, she's my step-sister." I mutter rather awkwardly with a blush. Geez, hearing someone call me a mother so bluntly is beyond embarrassing.

"Oh, my apologies. I shouldn't have made assumptions." The girl says politely, with a bow and small laugh following. "Do you need directions anywhere? I know this city like the back of my hand, if you need to get somewhere, just ask."

"My sister and I need to get to the Guild, could you bring us there...?" I ask in the same tone.

"My name is Uni, and I'd be glad to bring you two to the Guild."

"Pleased to meet you Uni, my name's Karen, my sister here is Nepgear." I say in a friendly tone. This Uni is one of the friendliest people I've met in this world aside from Nepgear.

"Pleased to meet you Karen, Nepgear. Actually, why do you want to the Guild?" Uni asks in a casual tone.

"We're trying to build up Lastation's shares for its CPU." I say calmly.

"That's quite a noble goal for a family of two. Anyway, just follow me, I'll bring you both there." Uni says, before walking to the east, with us following her.

"_**Karen, you may want to exercise a little caution, I can easily tell that this girl: Uni is another CPU Candidate just like Nepgear.**_" Caelus says to me rather seriously.

"_Caelus? Uni's a CPU just like you and Nepgear? How can you even tell?_" I ask her rather curiously.

"_**All CPUs and those specifically blessed by them give off a special kind of aura. As a former goddess, I can recognize the aura of those individuals, and I can use that talent to determine who has the capability to become Console Patron Units. Sadly, my power to do this is extremely limited because of how I have no followers, I can only use this power in a tiny radius thanks to the symbiotic bond we share, with the distance Uni keeping between you being the absolute limit.**_"

"_So...that power you possess is very helpful to find the CPU Candidates Histoire asked us to find, but we more or less need to be in point blank range?_" I ask curiously.

"_**Essentially. When you become a full CPU, I would not be limited in such ways, since I'd have a back door of sorts to the power created by the faith you would have.**_"

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:30] August 2nd 20XX

While I was speaking with Caelus, we managed to get to Lastation's main plaza, and Uni brings us into a moderately sized building which apparently is the guild building and brings the both of us inside. We walk inside and I see Katsuo, Kazuto, and Falcom at an electronic billboard, apparently looking for quests to do.

"Katsuo, Kazuto, Falcom!"

"Oh Karen, Nepgear, you made it." Katsuo says casually, but with a smile.

"Yeah, Uni brought us here." I say casually, approaching the trio with Nepgear and Uni.

"Pleased to meet you Uni, thanks for bringing these two here. Anyway, we really need to hurry; IF and Compa already left for the Basilicom. As soon as we take up these quests, we're going to head there with Falcom leading the way." Kazuto says politely.

"Oh, you have business in the Basilicom? I'd be willing to go with you guys there, I was actually on my way there when I brought these two here, if you had told me you had business there, I would've brought you to the Basilicom directly." Uni says casually, with friendly laughing throughout her statement.

"We'd appreciate it Uni. We need to get there fast, our meeting is in a half hour." Katsuo says in a quiet tone.

"Got it, I know a shortcut there, follow me." Uni says, motioning the five of us to follow her, with Uni taking the lead to guide us "Oh, now that I've gotten a chance to look at you, you're Falcom right? You stopped by the Basilicom twice." Uni asks the red head casually.

"Yep. I was trying to get information but the oracle was very troublesome." Falcom says in a mildly dejected tone.

"I happen to have a way with people, maybe I'll have better luck." I say calmly.

"Best of luck, Kei is very troublesome to deal with to most." Uni says with a small laugh.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [13:00] August 2nd 20XX

The eight of us us are inside the Lastation Basilicom, though only IF, Nepgear, and I are speaking with the Oracle. Katsuo, Kazuto, Compa, Falcom, and Uni are in a different room, not wanting to interrupt our meeting.

"I welcome you to Lastation's Basilicom. I'm the oracle for this nation: Kei Jinguji. I heard from that girl: Falcom, that you wished to ask me something, I presume all three of you: IF, Nepgear, and Karen Koizumi, are from Planeptune, am I right?"

"In a manner of speaking. IF and Nepgear are natives of Planeptune, while I'm a sort of...summoned hero. And how do you know my name?" I state a little awkwardly, before inquiring how Kei already knows of us.

"Information is the very nature of my profession. I've been watching you all since you arrived in Lastation, you two had a very awkward start upon arriving, what with you both getting lost." Kei says calmly, and slightly egotistically when she glances at me and Nepgear.

"I see your reputation precedes you." IF states calmly to the Oracle.

Kei walks toward me and whispers something to me

"_Even though the information I hold is vague, for now, I can tell you're holding another passenger._"

After Kei says this, she walks back to where she was before, with IF and Nepgear being mildly confused.

"_**Damn...this Oracle is too crafty. Even if she knew your identity, no one should be able to detect that I exist inside your body.**_"

"_Is it possible Histoire simply told her?_"

"_**No. Kei didn't mention Histoire one bit, she would've made it clear.**_"

"_Caelus, remember that Kei may try taunting you into revealing yourself. She may try withholding vital information to pester you._"

"_**I didn't think of that...perhaps having a second opinion can be very useful.**_"

"Miss Kei, we're trying to find Lastation's mascot character, do you happen to know where it is?" Nepgear asks the oracle politely.

"It's not that I don't have the information but I have a question for you three: What can you offer for my information?"

"What are you talking about?" I ask curiously.

"I presume you've heard of the phrase: Equivalent Exchange? If you want information on the Mascot, you must offer something equivalent to what you seek."

"Hmm...I can only think of two things capable of being equal with information. The first is yet more information, the second is manual labor." I say in a perceptive tone.

"I will settle with assigning you manual labor. We need components for a new device currently in production. We need two components: the Treasure Gem, and a deposit of Hematite."

"T-Those two components are incredibly rare! How are we supposed to get those?!" IF says in a rather shocked tone.

"I know Hematite is a type of ore, but is Hematite and this Treasure Gem _that_ rare?" I ask, rather confused about the situation.

"They're so rare that shops refuse to stock either, they'd get robbed. I have no idea where to get either material. This request is impossible!" IF responds to me in a surprised tone.

"If that is the response you hold, I won't force you to do what I ask of you. Forget what I asked for, I clearly miscalculated the value of the information."

"We need the mascot. Let's just play along IF." Nepgear says calmly, and I agree with her on this one.

"Fine." IF says in defeat.

"Very well, we'll look for these components, when we bring them back, you'll tell us everything you know about the mascot, right?"

"There's one more request. I want you three to tell me what happened in the Gamindustri Graveyard. Three years ago and recently."

"You truly are good at gathering information when it's possible, your skill rivals that of Solaris and Argo the Rat." I say with a smile, having made deals with Argo a few times in Aincrad, and referencing the me in the past, with my Sleuth skill.

"My information is lacking, but considering how Miss Nepgear is here, you must have been in the Gamindustri Graveyard recently. I want to know. Is Lady Black Heart okay? Why is it that only Nepgear returned?"

"Noire is with my sister still, They-"

"Hold up Gear. Kei, remember the phrase: Equivalent Exchange? It's rude of you to try prying information from us for free now, isn't it?" IF says mockingly.

"Very well then, I would like to request that you collect the items I mentioned before. Do so, and we will exchange our information."

"Fair enough, we'll be back Oracle Jinguji." I say, before walking away with IF and Nepgear.

We exit the room and leave the Basilicom to find Katsuo, Kazuto, Falcom, Compa, and Uni outside, apparently waiting for us.

"We have a new objective: We have to find two materials called the Treasure Gem and a deposit of Hematite." I say calmly.

"You know, I actually heard of the Treasure Gem, Ancient Dragons in Planeptune's Virtua Forest tend to have them. Though I sadly haven't heard of Hematite." Falcom states casually.

"You must be kidding!" IF says in mild annoyance.

"Hmm… Falcom, IF, Compa, are there any places in Gamindustri that hold mineral hot springs?" I ask, knowing the background of Hematite ore from my world.

"Actually yeah, there is a resort to the southwest of here that hold hot springs. But why are you asking us about hot springs?"

"I'm not sure if it applies here in Gamindustri, but in my world, Hematite is typically found in places with mineral hot springs. Figuratively, we should be able to find such things in the same relative location."

"It couldn't hurt to try." Falcom simply shrugs as she apparently agrees with my point of view.

"Either way, for now, I think we should divide and conquer to get these two components." I say casually, and a little sadly, never liking having to do things like this.

"You sure that's wise? That sounds like a recipe for disaster." IF says in mild disbelief.

"If we want to do this quickly, we need to separate. We can keep in contact via our gauntlets." I say seriously.

"How do you plan on dividing the teams Karen?" Kazuto asks me.

"Nepgear and I will go to Planeptune to get the Treasure Gem. IF, Compa, Falcom, Katsuo, Kazuto, I want you five to go find the Hematite."

"You're leaving yourself shorthanded Karen, you do know that right?" Kazuto says seriously.

"We've been to the Virtua Forest before, we'll fast travel there, get the gem, and return to Lastation. We'll be gone a few hours to a day at the absolute max."

"Hey. What about me?" Uni asks mildly angrily.

"I'm not going to force you to help us Uni, though if you wish to, that is your own choice."

"Your friends may need a guide around Lastation, and as a native Lastatian, I'll do what I can to help."

"Okay, Uni will be helping you five, while Nepgear and I will return to Planeptune. We won't be gone long." I say, activating the fast travel alongside Nepgear.


	6. Chapter 5: Changing Allegiances

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the words that I write and the characters that I create. Credit goes to the original creator of the SAO universe; credits also to the creators and contributors to the Hyperdimension Neptunia series._

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [14:30] August 2nd 20XX

Nepgear and I have entered the Virtua Forest Depths, trying to find the Treasure Gem, whatever the hell that is. I'm just hopeful that Nepgear or Caelus knows what this thing is.

"_Caelus, you have any idea what this Treasure Gem is?_"

"_**I do know of it, but I myself have never seen it first hand. The only thing I can truly tell you is that they are held by Ancient Dragons.**_"

"_Oh, that's freaking great. Those things nearly killed me and Katsuo before!_"

"_**You forget Karen Koizumi, you are much stronger than before. Before, you were unaccustomed to the workings of Gamindustri, but now you are aware of the way this world works, and you possess the armaments I once used to slay thousands of enemies alongside your enhanced strength. You have nothing to worry about.**_"

"_Hang on, what happened to 'keeping yourself in hiding'?_" I ask with my voice being mildly condescending.

"_**Do you seriously want to piss off a CPU? Especially when she's trying to be friendly and helpful? But to answer your question, I'm disguising my energy with your gauntlet's after Nepgear nearly caught me back on the ship. I don't want her sensing me again.**_"

"_Gomen, I tend to be a jokester at times, it's a habit I got from being with my friends. You ought to get used to it, though thankfully, I'm only like this rarely._"

"_**Histoire was right, you act just like how I used to, back when I was in my prime.**_" Caelus says with a small sigh.

"_Hey Caelus, would it be possible for this soul merge or whatever to be undone later on? I imagine you wouldn't want to stayin my soul forever if given the option._"

"_**Sadly, it is permanent. I was aware of the consequences of the action when I merged my life with yours, but I accepted them. When you gain more power, I should be able to manifest my being into a different body full time, but I will need to stay a certain distance to you twenty four seven, as my soul exists within you, and I can only send only a part of me to that other being. Currently, I can only create temporary apparitions with it being unable to go further than a yard and a half before it vanishes.**_"

"_Wow. So what would happen if I die? Would you die as well?_"

"_**Never thought of such a thing. I think figuratively, I'd pass over to a blood related descendent. That or I would die with you. I honestly don't know. And I'm not interested in testing thank you very much.**_"

"_So if your first theory is true; when I die, my child would house your existence?_"

"_**I really don't know Karen Koizumi. I doubt even Histoire would have an answer for you based on this question. My memories are a bit...fragmented. I can't remember too much sadly.**_"

Around now, Nepgear apparently began noticing that I'm out of it since I'm talking with Caelus.

"Karen, you okay? You've been out of it since we entered this forest." Nepgear asks me in concern.

"I'm fine...just...thinking about Earth." I say quickly, thinking of a quick lie to disguise that I was talking with Caelus "Anyway, Nepgear, you have any idea what this Treasure Gem looks like? All I know is that we need to hunt Ancient Dragons for them."

"I don't know what they look either. Let's just hunt Ancient Dragons until we get it." Nepgear says with a smile as she engages her Hard Drive Divinity and turns into her CPU form: Purple Sister. "I am more than capable of protecting you in this form, if things get dangerous, I can save you." Nepgear says rather confidently, I guess she's more outgoing and brave in this form.

"Nepgear, does your personality change in that form? You seem more brave when you activate your HDD."

"It's a small side-effect when you're not skilled with it. Your personality changes in either small ways or significantly." Nepgear states proudly.

"Interesting. Is it possible for you to maintain your Hard Drive Divinity indefinitely Gear?" I ask curiously, wanting to know as much as possible about HDD.

"CPUs can do it yes, but I'm not strong enough to keep it going indefinitely, the limit I can handle at a time is a few hours. We need to make good use of my time to get this Treasure Gem." Nepgear says calmly "Let's go." Nepgear follows with a very serious note.

"Yes ma'am." I say rather amusedly as I draw Celeste.

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [15:30] August 2nd 20XX

After a half hour of hunting monsters, we finally found an Ancient Dragon with a gem embedded in its head, which I guess is the Treasure Gem.

"That must be the Treasure Gem we were sent to find. Karen, attack from the right. I'll fight it from the left to keep it distracted."

"Rather simple, but sometimes simplicity is best, besides; we're fighting a mere monster, we shouldn't have a problem." I say calmly, breaking off to the right to fight this Ancient Dragon.

The two of us go all out against this dragon with us focusing on destroying its powerful Guard Gauge, and when it is destroyed, we unleash some of our more powerful skills: Nepgear's new Panzer Blade and my Dark Saber. The combination of these skills outright annihilated the Ancient Dragon with nearly no hassle unlike when Katsuo and I first faced them with Falcom. I walk toward where the Ancient Dragon was before vanishing upon its demise and grab the gem that fell from its head moments before it died. I notice that Nepgear has returned to her human form, apparently content with our progress.

* * *

"This must be the Treasure Gem" I say calmly, inspecting the gem, which is constantly shifting colors. "Here, take the Gem Nepgear, just in case." I say, passing the shiny gem to her.

"Now we need to return to Lastation and see if the others found the Hematite." Nepgear says very happily.

"Not a chance. I'm going to make sure you never leave this forest alive." Linda says with a conceited tone.

"Oh, you again." I say in an unconcerned tone.

"_**Figures we run into this girl again.**_" Caelus only sighs, probably feeling as irritated as I am.

"Why are you even here?" Nepgear asks, in the same unconcerned tone as my own.

"Ain't it obvious, I'm here to kill you all."

"This will be simple sister. All I need to do is transform again and I'll wipe the floor with her." Nepgear says with a smile.

"You're way more freaking naive than I thought, you pampered little princess. HDD won't work on me twice!"

Linda takes out a red gem and throws it toward Nepgear, but I instinctively intercept the gem, and it lands on my arm. I begin feeling faint and I feel something reacting within me, making me collapse somewhat.

"Wow, you are an utter idiot. You willingly let yourself get infected with my Anti-crystal to protect this pipsqueak? How freaking noble of you."

"Nepgear! Get out of here!" I shout to her fearfully, with my voice getting a little weaker.

"Sister, I refuse to abandon you!"

"Do it!" I growl very angrily toward her, with her reluctantly engaging the fast travel to wherever she went, taking the gem with her.

"Here I was, hoping I'd get to seal that girl's HDD, and instead I get a prisoner who falls under my control. This is just perfect." Linda says with an evil laugh.

"Go to hell. I will not serve you." I snarl angrily, however, it's getting tougher for me to keep myself conscious and I feel like something's changing me "_Caelus...what-what's happening to me?_"

"_**She infected you with an Anticrystal. If CPUs are the ones infected, they would slowly perish unless the crystal is removed. However, the fact you're human grants a different side-effect: You fall under mind control of the one who infected you in the first place, in this case: Linda.**_" Caelus says very worriedly.

"_But what about you? You're a CPU._"

"_**Yes, but the curse will work the same as it would toward humans. Karen Koizumi, do not worry, it will take a little time, but I will find some way to destroy that Anticrystal. In the meantime, take this opportunity to blend in with ASIC's workings.**_"

"_Caelus, there's no way in hell that I'll serve ASIC!_"

"_**Bare with it Karen Koizumi. We need information on the inside, and Linda has given you the best opportunity possible through her own stupidity. Do not fret about losing yourself to the darkness of the Anticrystal, I have enveloped the farthest reaches of your souls with a shield that should keep you from fully succumbing to its influence. Best of luck.**_"

"_Thanks Caelus, and just call me Karen._"

"_**Understood...Karen...**_" It seems like Caelus had trouble calling me by my first name only based on the awkward tone she used for this sentence.

Around now, I have 'fully' succumbed to the Anticrystal's effect and I speak to Linda. I've never been good with acting at all, but you do have to start at some point.

"How may I serve you Master?" I state, letting myself delve into the darkness a little bit, praying that Caelus can protect me from the Anticrystal.

"Hehehe, perfect. You're coming with me to Lastation, CFW Brave is in Endless Zone searching for the Lastation Mascot. We have to go to the Septent Resort and intercept those idiotic fools and stop them from finding that deposit of Hematite for the Oracle. I want you to lead them to this area in the resort as soon as possible." Linda says laughingly, handing me a map of the Septent Resort.

"Yes Master." I say quietly, with me activating fast travel and departing to the Resort, with Linda aiding me and allowing me to access this place.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [17:00] August 2nd 20XX

After using the Fast-Travel network, Linda and I arrive in the Septent Resort and considering the layout of the area we're in, it looks like we just reached the entrance of the dungeon.

"Okay, now that we're here, sod off. I want you to keep cover among the idiot squad as long as possible. I'll work on keeping that pipsqueak off your tail, but if you get uncovered, get to Endless Zone and find CFW Brave. He'll keep you safe." Linda says a little angrily, and a little worriedly as well, which surprises me more than I'd admit.

"Yes Master, I will depart immediately." I say emotionlessly, with Linda running off to a different part of the dungeon.

I walk around the area for about a half hour and encounter IF, Compa, Katsuo, Kazuto, Falcom, Uni, and one other girl with blue hair with them.

"Karen! You got back far faster than I thought" IF says in surprise, with the group running toward me "Did you get the Treasure Gem?"

"IF...yeah. I gave the Gem to Nepgear, but she was feeling a little tired so she decided to go rest in her room in Planeptune. She sent me to check up on you all."

"Oh, I see. Anyway, we haven't been able to find any Hematite yet, we're going to head back to Lastation for rest since it's starting to get late. Also, meet Nisa, she wanted to join our group to help us save Gamindustri."

"Another heroine fighting for justice? Excellent, now our journey will be that much more exciting. I am looking forward to fighting on the side of good with you." Nisa says in an excited tone.

"_This girl is...determined at least. Shame I'm being forced to serve evil for now._" I say in my mind with a heavy heart.

"Let's get back to Lastation, I imagine we all could use a good rest." Katsuo says with a calm tone.

* * *

POV: Nepgear

I fled Virtua Forest at Karen's urgent request and thankfully I apparently ended up outside Lastation's Basilicom. Lucky for me, since I randomized the coordinates because of how little time I had available when she told me to run.

"I have no idea where IF and the others currently are, but I think I should wait for them here in the Basilicom, since they did have to find Hematite." I say quietly, wondering what happened to Karen since she let herself get hit with that red gem. "I need to get information on that Anticrystal, maybe Lady Kei will know." I say seriously, walking into the Basilicom.

When I get into the Basilicom, I encounter Lady Kei rather quickly, to my relief.

"Ah, Nepgear. You've returned much faster than I anticipated, do you have the Treasure Gem and the Hematite I requested?"

"I do have the Treasure Gem, but IF and the others are still searching for the Hematite. Anyway, I was wondering if I could make a smaller deal with you in exchange for the Treasure Gem."

"I rarely make side deals with a client when I have a deal already in place, but I do make exceptions here and there. What do you request of me?"

"In exchange for the Treasure Gem, I want to know everything you know about something called Anticrystals."

"Anticrystal...? Why does that sound familiar? Come with me." Kei says in a mildly confused tone, though it's still remarkably business-like.

The two of us walk into a smaller room, which I guess is her office, when Kei starts up the computer. After a minute passes, Kei motions for me to come over to the other side of the desk

"According to this report, Anticrystals were developed in the last age, as a weapon to destroy CPUs. If a CPU were to become infected with an Anticrystal, their life would quickly fade into nonexistence unless it is swiftly removed. They were all reported destroyed however, but it seems that ASIC found atleast one. There's nothing here about what would happen if humans were to become infected with it."

"My goodness...A part of me is glad my sister shielded me from an Anticrystal." I say, wiping my eyes, as I seem to be crying somewhat. "Actually...what about that report in the lower right?"

"Pardon?" Kei asks in mild suspicion, before glancing over to the lower right. "Oh, what's this?" Kei says with mild shock, opening a new window "It's a list of symptoms and conditions of the Anticrystal. Let's see if it has anything about if humans are infected."

Kei searches through the symptoms of infection and I notice that the number of symptoms and conditions is very small in general. I guess this Anticrystal is more lethal than contagious I suppose.

"Curses, it doesn't give any definite reports on what happens if humans are infected, only CPUs. There is a theory of the human becoming evil and serving the individual who used the crystal, but there are no confirmed cases of this device being used against humans, and I can see why. Why waste a weapon against a common human when you can target the most important person to a nation? Right now, I hate ASIC even more for using things I have no knowledge of."

"Then my sister is in trouble...she was infected by Anticrystals controlled by ASIC!"

"We'll need to find her then and use this opportunity to study any effects that the Anticrystal did to her. It's getting late however so I'll give you a room in the Basilicom for the night, I imagine you need rest. But don't forget our deal: Hand over the Treasure Gem. I'll find Karen Koizumi for you, free of charge. Just this once."

"Sure." I say, handing Kei the Treasure Gem.

"Excellent. Now, go get some rest. You can stay in Noire's room for the night. It's just gathering dust after all."

"I will, and thank you Lady Kei." I say, lightly nodding before walking to the specified room.

After ten minutes pass, I find the room granted to me and I walk in, to find that although it's full of cosplay and anime related products, I can't find a single speck of dust. Looks like Kei was joking or something and this place was being kept fully clean for when Noire returns. I lay down in her bed, feeling pretty exhausted from this day's events.

"Sister...I hope you're okay. I imagine you're going through so much trouble all because of me."

* * *

POV: Karen

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [19:00] August 2nd 20XX

We've made it back to Lastation and we decided to spend the night staying in an inn in town.

"Okay, considering the size of our group, we need to get multiple rooms. Katsuo, Kazuto, you two are staying in your own room. Karen, mind staying with me and Compa in one room?" IF says calmly for most of it, and growls a little angrily when speaking about Katsuo and Kazuto, little surprise there considering that a good number of our party are female.

"Fine by me." I say nonchalantly.

"Okay then, so Falcom, Uni, and Nisa will stay in the other room." IF continues as the group head to their rooms, leaving me in the lobby.

"_Caelus. I'm a little...worried._"

"_**Don't fret. I I can still keep your protection going. I'll do everything I can to keep you from being corrupted.**_"

"_Don't push yourself...damn CPU._" The first half of my discussion with Caelus was of concern but I suddenly felt dark impulses course through me and make me say something I didn't mean to.

"_**The darkness in you is already pretty strong, don't let yourself unleash it too much Karen. I won't be able to protect you if you do.**_"

"_I understand Caelus, it's just a little tough to fight this. I've never met such challenge before._" I say as I shake my head to try silencing the dark energy being emanated from this Anticrystal.

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [6:00] August 3rd 20XX

I wake up rather early since I got a message from Linda on a private channel, telling me to get back to Septent Resort, so I head to the lobby and the innkeeper calls me over when he noticed me walking.

"You're up rather early, did you not sleep well?"

"Er, I did sleep well enough, but I'm just an early riser." I say a little sheepishly toward the innkeeper.

"I see. I see. Would you care for a quick breakfast?"

"I'll pass but thank you. Could you pass a message on to my companions when they wake up? I'm heading to Septent Resort for a little morning training."

"As you wish."

"Thanks."

I leave the inn and walk around the city to find a clothing shop as I realized that I need to change what I look like in case Nepgear presumes I've gone rogue and tell the others, which will blow my cover. When I enter the shop I remember that although I don't have much money, I do have enough to buy one new outfit. The outfit I bought has a white undershirt with a rather large magenta necktie, a gray sweater with purple trims; a magenta colored skirt, and black boots. While I like the outfit, I dislike the skirt, but I figure that wearing it will help strengthen the disguise so I'll swallow the distaste and put up with it. I notice that the new outfit made my hair change to blonde and my eyes have turned red as well. When I ask the clerk why this happened when no other outfit I wore here has done this, I learn that it's a slight modification of the common enchantment, allowing more intensive appearance change. Apparently there are different scales of this enchantment: the basic level only changes hair color, a moderate level changes hair and eye color, and apparently, the highest level enchantments can fully change everything about a person aside from voice. Apparently the basic level is incredibly easy to do and is the generic option. Intermediary is typically specially-ordered though they do have a number of outfits with this level open for purchase. If I were to guess, I imagine that advanced is very restricted based on the options done with it. I certainly am not going to complain buying this intermediate level enchanted outfit since I'll need to eventually keep low.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [7:00] August 3rd 20XX

I've gone to the Septent Resort as ordered by Linda and I notice her rather quickly down an off path not too far from the entrance.

"Glad to know you follow orders. What's with the new outfit?"

"I bought it to hide my identity. Considering how Nepgear got away, she'll most definitely tell the others and that would destroy my cover. I can use this outfit to gather intel without having to fear being hunted like an animal." I say rather bluntly, telling Linda about the update.

"I see. I see. Well crap. Your usefulness is waning you know. Okay listen. The idiotic CPU supporters will be coming back here to get the Hematite, which is in the deepest part of this dungeon. Bring them there and I'll ambush them with the strongest monsters here."

"As you wish." I do my best to suppress my anger at Linda calling my friends with the title she used as I simply bow as I see Linda walking away from me.

I return to the main part of the dungeon, but I change back to my old clothes beforehand because I want to keep this new outfit secret so I can hide myself in case Nepgear shows up and breaks my cover. I then think of something that can help my case later on.

"Histoire, you mind if I talk with you about something?"

"What is it Karen? Has something changed with the situation?"

"Kinda. Histoire, I actually have been given a new opportunity by ASIC's own incompetence. I've been infected with an Anticrystal but Caelus is protecting me from its effects."

"An Anticrystal? I thought they were all destroyed! But Karen; based on the knowledge I have as the world's everything; if a human were to be infected, the individual would be subjected to be controlled by the person who infected him or her in the first place. How would…? Wait, is Caelus shielding you and preventing it from taking control of you?"

"Exactly. I plan on infiltrating ASIC's ranks to gather information so I can take them down. I'm also planning on their resources to find the Mascots and discreetly plan things to ensure Nepgear and the others get them without complications."

"I see. Do you want me to tell Nepgear and the others?"

"No. In fact: the opposite. If they know my plan they'll hold back and that'll make ASIC suspicious. I need them to want to fight me without holding back. In fact, I...I need them all to outright hate me. I just need you to explain everything once we return to Planeptune with all four Mascot characters."

"Karen, that's too risky of a plan. Isn't there-"

"Histoire, we know very little about our enemy here. I have the best chance to do this. Please just work with me here."

"Hmm...Karen, I do not like this plan of yours one little bit, but I will support you since you have a true chance of learning about the organization's working and take it down from the inside. Do what you feel is necessary and I'll try to explain everything when you return. Just, be careful okay?" I can easily tell that Histoire is not fond of my decision here, but her voice is one full of concern.

"Understood Histoire. I'll keep interference to a minimal while trying to maintain the illusion I'm throwing a giant monkey wrench in the works."

"May the Goddesses guide and protect you Karen."

I end the call with Histoire and quickly find Katsuo, Kazuto, IF, Compa, Falcom, Uni, and Nisa walking into the dungeon rather calmly

"Karen, the innkeeper told us you left early. You that eager to find the Hematite?" IF asks me rather casually.

"Well, that, and I wanted to do a little training against monsters. Katsuo, I see why you were so fond of the training sessions you did back on Earth. Once you get into this kind of thing, it becomes rather compelling." I chuckle in a friendly manner as I lie a little about why I'm truly here, before looking toward Katsuo with a casual smile.

"Glad to hear it. It actually makes me feel really nervous though Karen. Considering that you're already very good with the tactician thing, if you become as strong as us, you'll be a true terror to fight."

"Hehe, you're flattering me. but look, let's find the Hematite."

* * *

POV: Nepgear

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:00] August 3rd 20XX

"Okay, according to Lady Kei, IF and the others returned here. I need to find them fast! My sister could be drawing them into a trap." I say worriedly, activating my HDD and then rush through the dungeon to try finding the others.

* * *

POV: Karen

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:30] August 3rd 20XX

We've been wandering through this dungeon for a while, and we've finally found the Hematite ore that Kei requested.

"I recognize the color of that ore, it's definitely Hematite." I say with a small smile, while trying to find out where Linda is.

"Perfect, now we just need to collect it." IF says happily, with us all walking toward the Hematite deposit.

However, around now, we hear someone suddenly shout

"IF, Compa, everyone, you can't trust her!"

We all glance in the direction of the voice and see Nepgear in her HDD state, floating toward us.

"_Crap! I thought Linda was supposed to keep her off my back! What the hell is she doing?!_" I shout in my head as I see Nepgear, feeling incredibly irritated that Linda failed like this.

"Nepgear, you made it, and what do you mean by 'We can't trust her'? Who aren't we supposed to trust?" Katsuo asks curiously.

"Karen has betrayed us! She's working for ASIC!"

"Nepgear, if you're joking, this is not funny in the slightest." Kazuto says rather bluntly, and mildly angry as well.

"I am not joking around! I was there when Underling infected her in Virtua Forest!"

"Ridiculous, if I was supposedly helping ASIC, why would I help you all find the Hematite? After all, it's one of the things stopping us from finding the location of the Mascot." I say rather casually.

"Okay, one of you is lying. But one thing that happened yesterday is making me support Nepgear." IF says calmly.

"And what would that be?" I ask curiously.

"You got here too fast yesterday, you haven't been here before so you couldn't you have fast traveled to this dungeon. That only means someone from the outside brought you here." IF states seriously, drawing her Qatars toward me.

"Wow did that take you a long time to notice, such a shame that it'll be the last thought you ever have." Linda says with an evil laugh.

We all look in her direction to find six floating Dolphin like monsters around her, seemingly getting ready to fight Nepgear and the others.

"Oi, get over here before these Dolphins tear them apart."

I exchange a hidden anxious glance between Linda and my friends, with Caelus persuading somewhat to move.

"_**Karen, you need to do this. Step forward and continue to 'serve' ASIC.**_"

"_I...I know..._" I say reluctantly, walking toward Linda.

"Karen! How could you betray us like this?!" Kazuto shouts in anger, with me hearing him and all of the others drawing their weapons.

"ASIC promised me that if I help them, they would send us back home, where we should be." I say with my back to Kazuto and the others, winking somewhat to Linda, hoping she's able to play along. It's taking all of the willpower I have not to cry as I'm called a traitor by my friends.

"Yeah, unlike your 'beloved' CPUs, we have no desire to keep you trapped in this world. If you help us, we'll send you back immediately." Linda says with an evil smile, keeping the charade going.

"You traitor! I cannot believe I let myself trust that you would do what was best for Gamindustri! You've let yourselves become corrupted by dark influences." IF growls angrily, not that I can blame her, since it does look like I'm going back on my word from before.

"Big talk for someone not stranded in an alien world." I say, with a scoff toward IF.

"Enough with the pity talks, let's get out of here." Linda says, activating the fast travel out of the dungeon with me in tow, but not before directing the Dolphins to attack Kazuto and the others.

* * *

POV: Nepgear

Karen just abandoned us to our fates against these six monsters. Uni and Compa are providing long range support with their rifle and syringe while the rest of us are fighting with our swords, or in IF's case, her Qatars. During the fight, I noticed Uni activate her HDD and become a CPU like myself. Now that I think about it, she does look like a younger Noire in human form, so this girl: Uni, must be Lastation's CPU Candidate. It takes a good fifteen minutes for us to defeat those six Dolphins and when they're defeated, we group up again.

"Nepgear, I want you to fight me, right here, right now." Uni says in a quiet, but mildly angry tone.

"Uni, after what just happened, we need to find out where Karen went. If she serves ASIC, she must fall." IF says bluntly, obviously feeling angry at her betrayal.

"No! This conflict must be resolved here and now." Uni responds in an angry tone.

"I accept your challenge." My voice is surprisingly irritable and I found myself shocked that I am this angry. I guess that Karen betraying us all hurt us all pretty bad.

"N-Nepgear?!" Kazuto asks in a moment of surprise before regaining his composure "We don't have time for this. The longer we stand around here, the more time we give ASIC."

"This must be dealt with. No more questions." I say in a very solemn voice, taking up a combat stance against Uni.

I effortlessly dodge many of the rifle rounds fired by Uni and when I manage to get into point blank range, I activate my Mirage Dance and rather quickly break Uni's guard gauge and defeat her, making her HDD deactivate.

"Okay, now that we've finished this match, let's go hunt down my sister." I say emotionlessly.

"Actually, why don't we try the gauntlets? Ophelia recently told me that they also have a locator feature. They could track any of the gauntlets, and considering how recently she left, it could still be active." Kazuto says calmly as he activates the locator feature and shows us that the signal from Karen's gauntlet is coming from a dungeon called Endless Zone.

"They're in a place called Endless Zone."

"That dungeon is only an hour north of Lastation's capital, we can get there pretty fast and find Karen." Falcom says in a passive tone, and I can't see a single speck of anger in her voice. Is this girl not angry at the slightest over how she betrayed us?

"Uni, do you still plan on traveling with us?" IF asks calmly.

"I...I need some time to think..." Uni says quietly, leaving the dungeon using fast travel.

"Let's deliver the Hematite to the oracle and then go hunt down the traitor. You have my condolences Katsuo, Kazuto, somewhat." IF states rather angrily.

"It's no problem, let's find her as quickly as possible." Kazuto quietly mumbles; maybe he's trying to get over this surprising turn of events.

* * *

POV: Karen

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [11:00] August 3rd 20XX

Linda and I have just left Septent Resort and apparently ended up in the Endless Zone dungeon. We find ourselves in front of a red and yellow colored giant robot with it carrying a giant sword with the same colors.

"I see you have brought a friend this time. Who is this human?"

"CFW Brave, sir, this is a human I've enslaved with the Anticrystal. She was originally working for the CPUs, but now I've brought her over to our side."

"I see, but then why can I sense the presence of a CPU in this woman?"

"Lord Brave, it may be from the extensive exposure of being around Planeptune's CPU Candidate." I say in a calm tone, trying to hide the nervousness of the fact I'm harboring a CPU.

"I see. Very well, I will not press the matter any further. I want you two to go to Rebeat Resort, we have strong evidence to suggest that the Mascot is there. Go there and destroy it." CFW Brave says proudly.

"Yes Lord Brave, we will depart at-" I try to say before my gauntlet's radar system activates; someone from IF's group must be trying to track me.

"What is that?" Brave asks curiously.

"The CPU's group is trying to track me, they'll be coming to this dungeon no matter what." I say with a heavy frown, as I quickly deactivate the locator to prevent them from easily finding me after this.

"Change of plans, Linda, I want you to go search for the Mascot. I want you to remain here and help me fight off the intruders."

"Understood CFW Brave, sir." Linda says with a salute, before departing via fast-travel.

"Okay, so what should we do in the meantime?" I ask curiously, not wanting to stand around doing nothing for possibly hours since I don't know how long it'll be until IF and the others show up.

"You hardly seem normal to me, you have an aura that suggests you are foreign to this world of Gamindustri."

"Yeah, my friends and I were forced to come here from a different dimension. The oracle: Histoire was responsible for doing it."

"You have my condolences. It must not be easy being forced to come to another dimension to solve one's problems. We would be willing to help you all return home if you help revive our guardian deity: Arfoire."

"You-You really would send us back if we help you? I originally said it as a lie to my friends." I ask in mild shock. I never expected to hear this from ASIC since I did say that as a lie to my friends to make my plan flow smoother.

"You are not an inhabitant of Gamindustri, therefore the problems of this world should not have affected you and your friends."

"You're nicer than you appear. I may have had the wrong impression about ASIC after experiencing the actions of...Judge was it?" It's hard for me to believe, but I'm actually finding myself growing a little fond of Brave already. He just seems quite more noble than Judge.

"Judge is difficult to get along with, I suppose you would define him as 'all brawn and no brains'. He is strong yes, but his strength is the only thing keeping him from being dismantled by our leader: Arfoire. Trick is the only one I cannot truly stand since his actions repulse me immensely."

"Why is CFW Trick so bad?"

"Trick is what humans would call a pedophile."

"_Eww_! Please don't tell me any more!" I shout in a disgusted tone, I would've died happy if I never asked about Trick.

"I apologize, but you did ask."

"And I regret asking...Ugh, that description of him seriously makes me want to gut CFW Trick right now." I say, feeling outright disgusted right now.

"Although I'd be against it as a Criminal of the Free World, as my own person, I'd have no problem looking the other way."

"Wow, you really must despise him if you'd look the other way about me killing him."

"Publicly, I cannot say such things, but in private, yes. Anyway, let's move on. I wish to know your name."

"Karen Koizumi."

"What a fascinating name you have, that proves it even more that you are not from Gamindustri. What is your world like?"

"It's difficult to say in a few words, but; it is a beautiful, culturally diverse world. We are technologically advanced to a point, but the laws that seem to govern Gamindustri's workings are far different from our own. We don't have any literal goddesses in control of the nations in our world, rather, we have presidents and rulers often elected by the public. In addition to that, practically all of the nations of our world joined the United Nations, which is a sort of super-government making decisions over the world."

"Fascinating, who knew such a world could exist. I wish I could see it for myself, but I am content with merely stories. Tell me as much as you can about your world" Brave says in an amused tone, clearly seeking to learn as much as possible.

"Is there any sort of topic you wish to ask?"

"Gaming."

"...You sure?" I ask in a bewildered tone, feeling a little lost for words, with Brave merely nodding "Okay...well, about four years ago, our society has actually developed the very first Virtual Reality game, which brought forth a term known as FullDive. As a result there's a whole new genre of Massively Multiplayer Online games: VRMMOs. The first VRMMO was a game called Sword Art Online. Sadly, it's creator: Akihiko Kayaba imprisoned all ten thousand of the players inside the game."

"That is barbaric, I hope this person received the justice he deserved."

"I suppose he did, in a way. Anyway, the first console used to play these VRMMOs was a helmet called the NerveGear, which used high powered scanning technology to cut off your senses while you're in the game. However, the NerveGear has been heavily phased out because of the internal microwave transceivers which killed the people who died in Aincrad. It's successor, the AmuSphere changed to a lower frequency scanning method which is safer, alongside the medical scanner built in which watches your heartbeat and forces you out if your body is in danger."

"Interesting, are all kids able to acquire these...NerveGears and AmuSpheres?"

"It's tough to find NerveGears nowadays, the public fears them as they were indirectly involved with the deaths of roughly thirty five hundred people in addition to how the government ordered them destroyed, but the AmuSphere however can be bought at a mildly cheap price."

"Wonderful, so there are many children that can enjoy these...FullDives?"

"Well, it's not too widespread outside my country yet, but figuratively, yes anyone should be able to afford it."

"I see." Brave says in a mildly depressed tone.

"Lord Brave, the technology is still new, and VR gaming has a bit of a bad reputation throughout the world, they just need to time to get used to it" I say, actually trying to encourage him; it's...really odd considering who I'm talking to: One of the Criminals of the Free World.

"Oh, I see. So after enough time passes, all children will get to enjoy the FullDive?"

Perhaps. Humanity is a difficult race to read, it is near impossible to read the future Lord Brave."

"That is an undeniable fact. The reason I was created was in vengeance of game creators overcharging for their works, making it so children can never afford to play their games. I am the voice of the oppressed, of the children who can never afford the unfair prices."

"Wow, you're much kinder than I anticipated Lord Brave. It's noble of you to stand up for the children who cannot purchase what's considered top-line." I say in mild awe. I can hardly bring myself to hate this...person...robot...whatever he is considering this.

* * *

After about a half hour passes of conversation between the two of us, we hear a shout from the familiar voice: Nepgear. I notice Kazuto, Katsuo, Nepgear, IF, Compa, Falcom, and Nisa among them.

"Karen!" Nepgear shouts rather angrily.

"So you actually did come, I'm surprised." I retort sarcastically.

"_**Karen, do you think you can handle this? I know it can't be easy to fight against your friends like this. As solemn as I was before, I don't want you pushing yourself.**_"

"_I appreciate your concern Caelus, but I am going to use this opportunity to harden Nepgear. We can't afford to send a crybaby after ASIC._"

"I will not allow your plans to continue, you will fall. Right here, right now!" Nepgear growls angrily, activating her HDD.

"Lord Brave. I will handle fighting Nepgear. When I defeat her, I will come aid you."

"As you wish." Brave responds simply, dashing further into the dungeon while I go down a different path after following him a short distance.

* * *

I flee to an elevated platform with Nepgear chasing me, leaving CFW Brave to fight the others. Once I find myself alone against Nepgear on the platform, I can easily tell that she looks rather pissed off, but also kind of sad as well.

"Sister, I know you. You would never serve ASIC unless you were being manipulated by that Anti-crystal. Listen to me; you need to break free!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I serve ASIC out of my own free will, with every fiber of my being. In fact, I have never felt more alive in my life." I state calmly, trying to keep the charade going. Even though I am seriously jeopardizing the bonds I have with my friends and potentially making it where they'll never trust me again, a part of me needs to test them all. If they can't fight against their friend, they'll never make it against ASIC. In addition, I have an opportunity to mess with ASIC from the inside and I'm not going to let this chance slip by me.

"Please don't lie to me. You're a good person, I know you are!"

"I don't think so, young, gullible Nepgear. As an ally of ASIC, I am drawn to fight you. Prepare yourself!" I say mockingly, drawing Celeste and charging at Nepgear, with her blocking my strike with her gunblade with a struggling defense.

"Sister, snap out of it, you're stronger than this!"

"Take a look at yourself first, young Nepgear. If you want to save your beloved Neptune, you need to be able to fight anything or anyone in your way and show unrelenting effort to defeat that foe. Unless you show me a hundred and twenty percent, you ought to give up now. If you can't bring yourself to fight me at full strength, you will never have the power to save your beloved sister." I continue to mock Nepgear, since I'm trying to provoke her into truly fighting here.

"You want a hundred and twenty percent? Fine!" Nepgear shouts angrily as she pushes back and activates her Panzer Blade skill, which actually does hurt me a little bit when it hits me, though I am doing my best to hide that pain.

"Hehe, that tickles. Is that all you have silly, naive Nepgear." I say mockingly, hiding the pain I'm feeling.

"There's more incoming!" Nepgear says, activating her special HDD Skill "Multiple Beam Launcher Overdrive! This is the end!" Nepgear executes her special Celestial Severance skill which inflicts heavy damage on me, causing me to grip Celeste with the blade in the ground "Satisfied yet?" Nepgear mockingly asks me, seemingly laughing at my weakened state, the fact I'm even alive from this barrage surprises me more than I'll admit.

"You hold promise, but you still have much to learn. Your hesitation at the start could have easily gotten you killed." I say with a small smile. "Rain of Destruction, come forth from the cosmos! Dark Saber!" I activate my skill and inflict a surprise attack on Nepgear, causing her to fall just like me.

"Ugh..."

"Never underestimate your enemy young Nepgear."

"I will not give up, fall!" Nepgear shouts and executes her Mirage Dance.

When that skill finishes, I fall to the ground from all the injuries. I was barely able to keep myself up from Celestial Severance, and with this attack...I can't handle it. I am able to look up a little and see Nepgear keeping the sword near me.

"Hehe...why hold back Nepgear? Finish off your enemy." Although I said this confidently, I am shouting at myself '_Why the hell did I say this to her?!'_. I cannot believe I just told Nepgear to kill me!

"No, that is where I draw the line. I will not kill the person I consider my sister." Nepgear states solemnly as she sheathes her sword.

"Heh, you hold a good amount of compassion. As your enemy, indulge me: Is the sister thing genuine or being used to cope with your beloved Neptune being captive in the Graveyard?" While this might be a strange time to ask, I figure this is my best chance to ask if Nepgear is serious about this or not.

"It is genuine. You nearly died trying to save me, and when you recovered, you have helped me ever since. When I asked you to be my sister, I meant it."

"I see." I then close my eyes and chuckle before trying to get up "Caelus, give me a hand."

"_**Understood.**_" Caelus says calmly, reenergizing my strength to a level where I can freely walk about.

"Caelus?! Y-You have a CPU helping you?!"

"In a way. I _am_ Caelus now, as our souls merged back in the graveyard. I am Caelus, and Caelus is me, we are one single entity. However, don't presume I am going to betray ASIC just because I have reawakened the power within me. I am not returning to you all." I say rather boldly, jumping down to the lower platform to aid Lord Brave in his battle. I used a fair deal of philosophy in my statement here, so much that I barely understood parts of it myself. Whatever the case, it is true depending on how you look at it.

"_**Bold speech Karen.**_" Caelus certainly does sound rather impressed right now.

"Eh, it's all just semantics. We'd better hurry, considering how strong IF and the others are, Lord Brave won't last long with such strong firepower."

"_**Right. We should...Karen, you have any idea how freaking strange it is for me of all people to want to help Arfoire and ASIC?**_"

"We have no choice. We can't let Brave be defeated. Besides, you were the one that told me to help ASIC."

"_**I make rash decisions, I do that more than I'd like to admit. I may be a goddess, but I am by no means a good one. That's why I tended to let Histoire make most of the decisions involving my nation. I may be intelligent, but that doesn't always translate into good leadership. My little sisters were more diverse in skill sets since I made them that way.**_"

"Your sisters? Do you feel like talking about them now?"

"_**Yes and no. We're in the middle of battle, I'll explain more when we get out of here.**_"

I dash to where Brave is, who is fighting Katsuo, Kazuto, IF, Compa, Falcom, and Nisa single handed; but considering how he is bent over and has dropped his combat stance, he must have been pushed to exhaustion, defeat being inevitable.

"Lord Brave! I'm here to aid you!"

"Your offer of assistance is appreciated, but I can tell you are getting exhausted, we must flee from this area."

"Understood." I glance over at everyone who has varying emotions before I fully vanish as well.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [13:00] August 3rd 20XX

POV: Katsuo

"I can't believe this. I can't believe that Karen really betrayed us. I can't..." I just can't believe that Karen truly betrayed us like this. I've known her six years and she would never do something like this! She'd rather die than betray her friends.

"Well believe it. Karen is nothing less than a damn coward and a traitor. Next time I see her, I will kill her." IF growls with an angry tone.

"IF, I've known Karen six years, she would never do something like this! If you try to kill Karen, I will personally make sure that will be the last thing you ever do!" I snarl angrily to IF. I don't care what she or the others say, I have known Karen for a long time and she would never willingly betray her friends. She would only do something like this if she has some plan in mind.

"Let's not worry about that right now. Let's bring the Hematite back to Lady Kei and then find the Mascot. My sister and ASIC will be there." Nepgear says in a solemn tone, still in CPU form at the moment.

"Right, let's get going." I say with a grim frown since I'm still angry toward IF.

We all fast travel out of the dungeon to Lastation's capital, so we can quickly return to the Basilicom to learn of the Mascot's location. When we enter, we find Kei not far ahead of us, seemingly anticipating our arrival.

* * *

POV: Nepgear

"Welcome back. I trust you have retrieved the Hematite this time?"

"Yes. We have it right here." IF says, handing over the Hematite.

"Now it is time I honor our deal, I will tell you where the mascot is, but first; I wish to know what happened in the graveyard."

"Very well." I say, explaining what happened three years ago back in the Gamindustri Graveyard.

"So Noire really is alive, that's a relief."

"If you were worried about your CPU, why did you make us go on this wild goose-chase? It cost us quite a bit you know. This goose-chase caused our friend to become corrupted by ASIC!" Kazuto growls angrily.

"Like you had your objectives, we had our own. We needed these components to advance our technology. Like I promised, the location of the Mascot is written on this paper."

"We need to hurry, ASIC may already be reaching the Mascot." I say seriously, urging the desire to get moving.

"Wait. Don't assume that the Mascot will offer her assistance so easily."

"What are you talking about?" Kazuto asks curiously.

"You'll find out soon enough, best of luck."

* * *

Author's Notes: Okay, I am aware that Nepgear is acting a _little_ out of character in this chapter, but considering Karen's plan, they have every reason to be incredibly mad at her.


	7. Chapter 6: Engage Nijusupai

Because of the fact that Karen has informed Histoire about her plan of infiltrating ASIC's ranks, she has gone ahead and took steps to make her plan as unshakeable as possible while trying to keep it secret that she's working as a double agent. However, even though she formulated the plan herself, it will be challenging for her to actively fight against her friends as it will demand of her.

* * *

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the words that I write and the characters that I create. Credit goes to the original creator of the SAO universe; credits also to the creators and contributors to the Hyperdimension Neptunia series._

This is a very short chapter I know, but it's an important nonetheless.

Also, if you're wondering what Nijusupai means; I think it means Double Agent in Japanese. I tried asking for a translation from a friend I know who knows Japanese fluently and she said there wasn't an easy translation for the word, so I'm going with what seems best considering the sources I used.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [13:30] August 3rd 20XX

POV: Karen

After the battle in Endless Zone, I find myself in what appears to be Rebeat Resort, and to be truthfully honest, I cannot see any differences between Rebeat and Septent.

"I'm relieved that we're safe but I must depart unfortunately. I would draw too much attention if I remain here. Linda and her companion are in this area, seek them out and find the mascot, no matter what. We cannot let the CPUs acquire that mascot."

"Understood Lord Brave. I will not let you down."

CFW Brave teleports away like what he did to bring me here, leaving me on my own.

"Hmm...I'm actually worried about these monsters a bit. I've never fought any of these on my own."

"_**Don't worry about it Karen. The aura projected by the Anticrystal practically makes you invisible to the monsters, they have no desire to attack members of ASIC.**_"

"_That must be why Linda was able to gather those dolphins before._"

"_**Exactly.**_"

"_Thanks Caelus, I feel a little bit better now. We'd better find Linda and the mascot._"

"_**Karen, I do have to admit... ****it is going to be strange fighting Nepgear and the others. I have never run into situations where I had to fight fellow CPUs before.**_"

"_Don't worry about it Caelus. Allow me to handle the fighting. It may be difficult for me to fight against my friends, but I'll try to make do. I just need to remind myself that I'm doing this to help them all in the long run._"

I wander through the dungeon and find Linda rather quickly, with some sort of black mouse and a giant wolf monster beside her.

"Ah, you made it, good. What happened in Endless Zone?"

"CFW Brave got defeated and retreated and I was forced to retreat as well. If you don't mind my asking; who's the rat and this wolf?"

"I'm not a rat, I'm a mouse! And my name is Pirachu!"

I smirk at the name, making me remember the Pocket Monsters series from my world.

"What's so funny-chump?!"

"It-it-It's nothing...hehe… I just remembered something from my world." I say, desperately trying to hold back the immense laughter, though small chuckles escape me no matter how hard I try to keep them back.

"What do you mean 'your world'?"

"Rat, this girl is not from Gamindustri, she's from a different world and was brought here against her will by the CPUs."

"That's horrible chump. I had no idea you were abducted from a different world. Curse those CPUs."

"Thanks I suppose. My name is Karen." I say, finally calming down from all the laughing I was suppressing.

"Well Karen-chump, let's find that Mascot."

"Hey, why do you keep adding the 'chump'?"

"It's a habit-chump."

"Oh. Well, let's find the mascot then. But if you wouldn't mind, let me scout for it." I say in a calm tone.

"Eh, if you want to, go right ahead. Saves me the hassle of searching aimlessly." Linda says nonchalantly.

"One more thing, what kind of monster is that?" I ask, since that wolf is giving me a few bloodcurdling stares, which is scaring me a little.

"It's a Fenrir, it's a rare monster in this dungeon. Like the Dragons in Virtua Forest and the Dolphins in Rebeat."

"Ya know; considering how IF and the others won against the Dolphins, I doubt a single one of these wolves will succeed." I say in mild doubt about if this wolf can actually fight off IF and the others.

"Fenrir is far stronger."

"If you say so." I say in disbelief with her then walking away with Pirachu in tow.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [15:00] August 3rd 20XX

I've been wandering through Rebeat Resort for a while now and I've spent the time talking with Caelus, speaking in my mind just in case Linda is listening from afar.

"_Is now a good time Caelus? We won't be in battle until Nepgear and the others show up._"

"_**I suppose. Hm, who should I talk about? They're all rather diverse. Hm… Ah. I'll talk about Scarlet Heart. Out of all my sisters, she was the most irritating, but I was the closest with her. While she wasn't as intelligent as I was, she was far more sociable than I ever could be. To be honest, I envied every one of my sisters. They could do things I wish I could. But for all their strengths, they never stood a chance against Arfoire. Although we had a sisterly bond between all of us, we were all just too damn stubborn to unite our strengths to fight here. In the end, only I survived, but just barely. I was able to seal away Arfoire, but she severely wounded me, and well; you know the rest of that story.**_" While Caelus had a rather calm tone at first talking about this Scarlet Heart, her tone began getting more and more dismal as the conversation went on, ending with a mild groan.

"_Yeah. I do._" I simply nod, knowing that the ending chapter of that story was her merging herself with me, saving both of our lives when we were in grave danger and would've died otherwise.

* * *

The conversation died down after we finished talking about this, we continue the trek through the dungeon with me noticing that Caelus has no hint of desire to talk about this anymore and I've finally found the Mascot in the deepest area of this dungeon.

"I finally found you" I say in an upbeat tone, with a good deal of relief that I found the Mascot before Katsuo and the others "If I'm right, you're Lastation's Mascot Character, correct?"

"Who are you?"

"I am the Console Patron Unit: Caelus reborn. I have come seeking your aid for the destruction of ASIC from the inside as a double agent." I have no idea how I was able to say this so confidently since I myself am not able to truly believe that I'm being changed even though both Histoire and Caelus told me this. I can just imagine Caelus sighing at me taking her identity so casually.

"Sadly, I can not go with you. I must stay here because of the fact Lastation's CPU is gone. With her absence, I must act as a surrogate Goddess to this nation, to prevent its destruction. I cannot afford to leave Lastation for any reason, even for you CPU Caelus."

"But I need your help to save Gamindustri."

"If I go with you, Lastation will be lost. I cannot allow such a thing to happen."

"Is there anything I can do to make you reconsider?"

"Well, perhaps I could-" The Lastation Mascot tries to say before getting interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Karen!" I hear someone shout angrily, causing me to look to my right, to see Nepgear and the others with me recognizing the voice from IF.

"Get away from that Mascot!" Nepgear shouts in an equally angry tone as IF.

"You're fast, I'll give you that much." I say with a chuckle. "But putting that aside, thanks a lot for interrupting a private conversation." I continue with a scowl and I thankfully don't need to pretend on this one since Nepgear and the others butted in when I was trying to talk with the Mascot.

"I won't say it again, get away from the Mascot!" Nepgear says in the same tone, with her drawing her sword immediately after.

"You make me laugh. Do you honestly think I'll do what you want just because you ask?"

"Karen, stop this. If you keep this up, we will have no choice but to end your life, and we don't want that. Have you even thought of how you could be hurting Ophelia and the others?" Katsuo pleads desperately, though the first part of his statement pisses me off a little more than I'd like. I knew something like this was inevitable but hearing this from Katsuo of all people surprises me, though I should be getting used to these drastic changes by now.

"Do you think I care? I serve ASIC, not your damn Console Patron Units." I growl, trying to make my anger appear genuine.

"I'll only say this one more time. Get away from the Mascot!" IF says in a rather pissed off tone.

"If you want this Mascot, you need to fight me for it." I say rather calmly, drawing Celeste and take up a combat stance.

The rest of the group all draw their weapons and take up combat stances when I see Linda, Pirachu, and that wolf slowly approach us.

"Also. If you believe yourselves to be holy warriors, then follow this one basic principle: Watch your rear ends." I had to be rather cautious of how I worded this one since I wanted to warn them of the sneak attack while trying to sound like I could care less about their lives. Geez, I never knew that acting could be so difficult since I'm using all of the talents I have trying to pull this off. I need to give Madoka a ton of credit since she's been doing this nearly a decade, now that I've had a chance to experience this first-hand, I am actually impressed. I imagine the only reason I got this far is how I'm working along with one of my plans since I sometimes get tunnel vision when I work with strategies.

"Eh?" Falcom asks curiously, with herself and Compa turning around to see Linda and the others approaching. I shoot the two of them an apologetic look to make it seem like they got caught without my assistance.

"You lured us into an ambush. How low of you." IF growls angrily.

"To be blunt, I did not _lure_ you here. You all came of your own initiative, so this so called ambush is entirely your fault."

"IF, Compa, Falcom, Nisa, go fight those three. Kazuto, Nepgear, and I will stall Karen."

I see the four run toward Linda and Pirachu, while Kazuto, Katsuo, and Nepgear take up arms against me, with the latter activating her HDD. The four of us exchange sword slashes, and even though it's a little tough trying to fight off attacks from three sides, I'm secretly not even trying to win this fight since I truly am working with Histoire but posing as a member of ASIC. Considering how Celeste's magic makes me extremely strong with that one sword, saying that it's tough for me to scale down my sword skill to let these three win while also trying to look like I'm not holding back is a monumental understatement.

"Karen, please stop this! I don't want to fight you!" Kazuto pleads desperately and I can tell that this is rather sincere.

"Well I do." I retort as I kick Kazuto back rather strongly. Looks like all of that training is paying off since I never would have been able to do something like this before I came to Gamindustri.

"Well, if you truly plan on being our enemy, I won't hold back!" Nepgear says angrily, activating her Celestial Severance.

The skill sent me flying into a wall, causing me to collapse in pain. I can feel blood running down my face, which makes me think that the skill actually cut open my skin.

"Urk...damn it." I say weakly, gripping Celeste to the ground as I try to keep myself up. "You certainly are strong Nepgear."

"Karen!" Katsuo shouts in surprise, I can only imagine that he can see the blood flowing down my face based on his expression. I then see him running toward me, with me retaliating by pointing Celeste at him, causing him to stop rather abruptly, knowing how dangerous this world is, since he saw me bleed a great deal twice now in addition to the injuries he and Kazuto have had done to them.

"Urk… never help your enemy." I say angrily with me falling to my knees, with me casting a small healing spell to stabilize my wounds. I'll need a bit of rest and a proper healing spell to fully treat these injuries though.

I notice that Linda and Pirachu were defeated as well and they just warped out of the dungeon. I guess that the wolf: Fenrir lost as well as I don't see it anywhere.

"Karen, come back to us. You must know that ASIC is against everything we stand for!" Kazuto says with a hint of anger.

"No way losers. But count yourself lucky that I'm too weak to fight against all of you, so take the Mascot if you so wish. You won't get the other two as easily. I will defeat you all next time." I say weakly, leaving the dungeon. I'm really starting to kick up the ante to make them outright hate me even though I'm aware that this will make it so they won't trust me, but I just hope that Histoire can smooth things out atleast a little when my plan finishes. Despite that, I'm not getting my hopes up since I need to make myself think that I'll need to spend ages trying to piece together what little trust I can if that.


	8. Chapter 7: Journey to Lowee

Author's Notes: This will be the last time I use multiple PoVs in this story the way I have been so far. I've just begun disliking doing this so I'll be focusing solely on Karen's POV. I also will be changing the story from first person to third person at a certain point in the future. It may not make sense for why I'm deciding this now, but when I get around to it, you should be able to understand. Call it unorthodox, but the content of that time and beyond in this story will be near impossible to do in 1st person. I'd be pushing myself to insanity if I kept it in 1st person and I want to keep my sanity thank you.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [17:00] August 3rd 20XX

We've escaped from Rebeat Resort and I find myself nowhere near the two dungeons since I hitched a ride with Linda's escape coordinates, since I knew that I'd need a speedy escape, far from the resort, since IF or any of the others could've easily subdued me in my weak state.

"Great, we just let those goodie-two shoes get the Mascot for Lastation."

"I apologize. My own incompetence allowed them to acquire their target." I say in a sad tone, playing up the angle that I'm still working with ASIC.

"Don't worry about it. We just need to get one mascot to stop them. There's still Lowee and Leanbox. Let's get moving."

"She has a point-chump. Don't let the past stump you, look toward the future."

"Hehe...thanks. Anyway, where are we?"

"We're north of Endless Zone; specifically, it's a two to three week walk from it to here. We need to link up with CFW Brave who's not far from here. After we meet up with him, you need to get to Lowee and rendezvous with CFW Trick."

"Ugh...Trick. Forgive me for this, but I do not want to work with him." I say in a disgusted tone, having heard of him from Brave.

"I don't blame you on that. Trick is the most disgusting of all the CFWs. Trust me when I say that the rest of them are sensible; CFW Judge may be hotheaded but he's decent for the most part. Brave is considered the most noble and 'good' of all the CFWs, but he's strong so we let it slide. CFW Magic is our leader and is the strongest out of everyone in ASIC, well, aside from our guardian deity: Arfoire."

"Impressive. I should shut down my gauntlet's beacon this time. IF's group can easily use the locator to find us unless I do." I say as I deactivate the locator application and I'm relieved that Ophelia was able to seamlessly integrate these kinds of applications and best of all: make them easy to use "Okay, now IF and the others will not be able to track me."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [17:00] August 3rd 20XX

POV: Nepgear

"She's gone again." IF mumbles angrily, getting pissed off at the fact Karen's doing this.

"Let's not worry about this. Let's get the mascot." I say solemnly, not wanting to think about Karen right now.

"That girl...Karen is a member of ASIC?" Black Disc asks curiously, having spoken with her beforehand.

"Correct, and we aim to take her down before she harms Gamindustri permanently." IF growls angrily.

"Can we ask for your assistance?" I ask calmly.

"Unfortunately, I have two reasons for not offering my assistance."

"Two reasons?" I ask, tilting my head in confusion.

"The first is my vow to the true goddess. I must remain in Lastation because of the fact the CPU is missing. If I leave this place, it will be tantamount to surrender."

"Okay, so there's one reason, what's the other one?" I ask curiously, wanting to know what it is.

"I refuse to fight a CPU. It is against my principles to assist in combat between Console Patron Units."

"ASIC has a Console Patron Unit in their ranks? That's just great." IF mumbles angrily, and I don't blame her. Console Patron Units are very powerful, and if ASIC has one, it'll make our fight much more difficult.

"Who is this enemy CPU?" Kazuto asks curiously, wanting to know the identity of this new CPU.

"The identity of the foreign CPU is the girl who was recently here. She introduced herself as a Console Patron Unit and I know that to be truthful since I can recognize such beings."

"W-Wait. Karen...is a Console Patron Unit?! Explain that one to me!" I ask in a surprised tone, with everyone else looking utterly in awe.

"Although her aura indeed that of a CPU, I did notice it was rather diluted in a significant manner. I must assume that an experience in this world caused a CPU to merge with her consciousness, my guess is it was to save her life from danger."

"Save her from danger? The most danger she's been in when we got to this world was...the Gamindustri Graveyard!" Katsuo says, trying to think of when Karen was in grave danger.

"The graveyard? Oh yeah, you told me that Karen was near death when you all saved me."

"So this CPU merged with Karen to save her life. Considering the injuries I saw on her back then, her surviving shouldn't have been possible, not with how much blood she lost. I guess that's how she survived." Kazuto says quietly, seeing the logic here.

"But the thing is, there are only four CPUs aside from Nepgear and the other candidates: Neptune, Noire, Blanc, and Vert; and they're all imprisoned. How are there any other CPUs?" IF asks, clearly confused about this situation.

"The girl introduced herself as Caelus, a CPU long thought deceased during the battle against Arfoire in ages past, but has apparently returned to life."

"Great; so the one CPU that survived against Arfoire eons ago chose Karen as a host and is now working for the person she tried to defeat. But why would this CPU willingly want to work with ASIC? Why doesn't she just leave Karen and take off?" IF scowls, wondering why this Caelus is working with ASIC when she tried to defeat Arfoire in the past.

"When a CPU merges with a human, it is a permanent act. Console Patron Units that choose to do this typically possess grave injuries, to the point where their death is absolute, even then, very few choose to do it because of the fact. They lose the ability to manifest their true physical form, but small specters can be manifested from the power of the CPU and the human combined and if the pair are strong enough, the CPU can manifest a significant part of herself in a different body, but the CPU must stay close to her human partner. This action allows them to merge their remaining life force with the human in question and survive the injuries they suffered. It would allow the human to become a CPU themselves; of course considering that this has only happened once before now and it was undone because of a massive war, it's natural that we don't know the percentage of the success or fail rate of this action. We do not yet know if it happens no matter what or not." Black Disc says calmly, finally speaking up again.

"Is it that difficult to become a CPU?" Katsuo asks curiously, not knowing about CPU creation.

"We've never encountered a situation when humans became a CPU in this corrected timeline. All of our current and past CPUs were created, no human has pulled it off before. According to what I know, the CPU: Caelus used the items known as CPU Memories to handcraft the other CPUs of her generation." Purple Disc says in a serene tone.

"Anyway. I cannot accompany you, but I can give you a fragment of my power. It will have to suffice."

"That will be fine. Either way, we won't be able to leave Lastation for a while. We need to wait for Mamoru, Yuuki, and Sinon to arrive and then we'll help them handle the quests until we build up Lastation's shares to a stable level." I say solemnly, taking the fragment of Black Disc.

"Let's return to the capital. They'll be here very soon so we should help them do quests to build up Lastation's shares." Katsuo says quietly, and considering the tone I heard him use, he apparently has a lot going through his head right now.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [20:00] August 3rd 20XX

POV: Karen

Linda, Pirachu, and I have been walking about the area for a few hours since we got out of the dungeon and we come across what appears to be a destroyed village. The fact that it's four hours till midnight makes this place seem incredibly creepy in addition to the dark aura of the whole place.

"Perfect, we finally made it. CFW Brave should be in the village center."

"What is this place Linda? Saying that it's creepy is a compliment."

"This is Tregaron. It was abandoned by the Lastation CPU when this village burned down years ago and was replaced with Lagoon City. We use this place as an outpost. Anyway, I can't stay. I was given orders a while back. When our business is concluded in Lastation, I was to return to the Graveyard for new orders while you were to proceed on to Lowee. I am a little thankful, for you atleast, since CFW Trick has been recalled to the Graveyard. Lowee will be all on you. Good luck." Linda says as she fast-travels with Pirachu in tow, apparently both heading to the Graveyard.

I walk to the town center to find Brave walking about and when he hears me approach, he turns toward me

"Ah Karen Koizumi, you made it."

"Yes Lord Brave. I am deeply sorry, but I failed to keep the CPUs from getting the Mascot."

"I see. I imagine it was difficult for you to fight your friends when you were trying to fake being one of us."

"Yeah, it was-...wait, what?" I just fell into this trap; hook, line, and sinker. This is _not_ going to end well for me.

"You can't hide things from me Karen Koizumi. You lied when you said you merely held residue of influence from the CPU Candidate. You are harboring a CPU within you."

I keep a hand on Celeste and I look toward Brave "So I assume we have no choice but to fight Brave?"

"Normally yes, but I don't wish to fight you. Atleast, not while I have an option."

"I...I don't understand." Saying that I'm confused is putting it mildly though I'm relieved I don't have to fight him. If he's as strong as Judge, I don't want to risk it right now; Judge had technically killed me when I got here. I am not eager to relive my death so soon.

"**I've seen how he acts Karen; he may be working for ASIC, but he is honorable. But no matter what we do, we will inevitably have fight him when we return to the Gamindustri Graveyard.**" Caelus replies calmly, and to my surprise, she is willing to speak openly despite how we're in front of a CFW.

"We can make that time our battlefield. Like I said in Endless Zone, the problems of this world shouldn't have affected you, but because of your association with the CPUs, it is unfortunately inevitable that we fight to the death. No one is here to overhear us but I will keep this brief. No one in ASIC, save me, is aware of your secret for now. I am the only one who has realized this, so feel free to pretend you are still working with us if you so desire." Brave says before he moves his hand near me and a bolt of lightning is projected which destroys the Anti-crystal on my arm "Why bother having that insignificant trinket when it doesn't affect you?" He then backs up a short bit.

"Why are you helping me when I'm trying to destroy ASIC?"

"Consider it my way of evening the battlefield. We four are immensely strong and we could easily destroy any of our enemies, but I am not interested in fighting enemies unless they are on par with us. I barely used half of my power in Endless Zone since I was told to gauge their abilities. One way or another, you will be gathering in the Gamindustri Graveyard. That will be our final battlefield. But as one final gift from me to you; Hanari, Mizutani, come out here." Brave is rather calm in his statement before looking to the right as I see two girls coming out from behind one of the buildings after a few minutes pass when he called out for them.

* * *

One of them has brown hair with a dark shade of burgundy and saffron colored eyes. She appears to be wearing a unique set of armor colored white and gold and what's a little strange based on what I've seen from the others in Gamindustri, this girl has wings which seems to be poking through the armor based on the brief glimpse I caught of her back. That armor clearly has to be customized to handle those special appendages, if they're real anyway. The other girl has maroon colored hair and what's odd is that her right eye is a crimson red while her left is a soft velvet color. She is wearing a rather nice looking dress colored red and white.

"You called for us Brave?" The red haired girl asks with a serious tone.

"Yes. Magic ordered for your termination and for this place to be razed to the ground. You've been loyal to our cause so far so I want to give you both an opportunity to escape the upcoming hellfire."

"Damn that sucks. You guys paid good credits for the jobs we did."

"I know. I'm afraid I can't offer you any compensation beyond this warning. Hurry to Lowee with this girl here." Brave says before fast-traveling away from the area.

"Okay, mind giving your name, whoever you are?"

"I'm Karen. Yoroshiku."

"Er...what?" The red haired girl blinks rapidly, and I guess that she has no idea what the word means based on the confused expressions on both of these girls.

"That means 'Pleased to meet you.' I guess I should've been more clear."

"Oh...er; pleased to meet you too. I'm Miyo. Miyo Hanari; my friend here is Izumi Mizutani. Have you been to Lowee before Karen?"

"No, not really."

"Ah dang it...I have to spend two weeks walking to Lowee? Well, atleast I have two pretty girls nearby so I guess it's not all bad." Izumi mildly pouts before developing a mild grin as she walks away.

Miyo then walks next to me and gives me a casual warning "Be careful of her alright? She's going to be making moves on you for atleast a little while."

"Er...could you elaborate Miyo?" I sheepishly ask, though I have a slightly idea of what she means, but I need to get confirmation.

"Do I have to?" Miyo asks me with a small frown, and that response was enough to build up a degree of fear in me.

"Urk…" I can only groan as I realize what Miyo is trying to warn me about.

"Just keep an eye open when you sleep and I'll try to do my best to keep her off ya during the waking hours. Anyway, let's get moving."

"Can't I get a little rest? I've been through a lot today." I ask weakly, with my fatigue catching up in a heartbeat at the mention of rest.

"There's no place to rest here in Tregaron, or rather: no comfortable place. There is a small village about four hours north of here called Meteli. We can stay there."

"Ugh...more walking? As fit as I've become, I'm not the kind of person who can handle exerting this much work."

"Just try to bare with it Karen. Ya know, I feel obligated to ask; is that what you normally look like?" Miyo asks me after trying to apparently reassure my spirit.

"No, I look like this because of the clothing enchantments. It's a little strange since clothes from my world don't do things like that."

"Ah, you're not native to Gamindustri either? That's a relief. Now I don't exactly have to hold back too much in terms of conversation." Miyo visibly sighs in relief and her serious tone turns into a more laid-back one "You see, and while this may just be my own opinion, we're supposed to hide the fact that we originate from different worlds since the vast majority of people seem unaware of this particular thing, so we hide our appearances with the enchantments that clothing here has. We tend to not wear it when we work with ASIC, but we need to put different clothes on before we reach Meteli." Miyo says as she changes her outfit from what it currently is to a dark green colored outfit that makes me think she looks like a female samurai. And considering that Izumi changed at the same time as Miyo; and if Miyo's appearance makes her look like a samurai, Izumi's is that of a kunoichi, since she's wearing a purple top with the kunoichi style to it "Do you have any other clothes to wear?"

"Actually yeah, I do." I lightly smile as I open my inventory to switch my clothes to the one I bought in Lastation.

"Nice. Anyway, come on, we need to hurry to Meteli."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [2:00] August 4th 20XX

Location: [Meteli]

Miyo, Izumi, and I have finally made it to this quaint little village and I fall face-first almost immediately but I'm thankfully caught by Miyo beforehand and she helps keep me from falling. While we were walking to Meteli, I told these two about my plan to take down ASIC as a double agent and to my surprise, they had no problems with my intentions. Either Miyo and Izumi are just plain untrustworthy, or they aren't as loyal to ASIC as Brave believed. Perhaps they just follow an interesting code of loyalty: They are loyal to whoever pays them. If it's the latter, I doubt that these two will be loyal to me long since I can't pay them, but of course, I need to find this out as soon as possible.

"Aye, you weren't kidding Karen. You really are tired."

"You think…?" I retort to Miyo in a weak sarcastic tone, hardly able to use a true sense of anger because of tired I am.

"Let's go to the inn and try to get as much sleep as we can. We wake up at six sharp."

"_WHAT?!_" I exclaim in dismay. I've spent a full day going through rather rigorous events and now I have to wake up in four hours? Not even I am this ruthless and strict.

"Look Karen, we need to get to Lowee as quickly as we can. We have a client waiting for us and we don't want to make her mad. We've been planning to work with this client for about a year now so we don't want to get her irritated and call this off. Thankfully, she is patient so if we explain that you don't have access to Lowee via fast-travel, our job safety should be kept."

"But what about sleep? How are you not tired?" I ask, noticing that Miyo seems utterly unfazed compared to my extreme fatigue and Izumi's own exhaustion.

"Cybernetics. As far as I know, while it's impossible for it to outright eliminate biological needs, even by my people's level of technology, these puppies can make it so I don't need to eat, sleep, or drink as much."

"Sugoi." I can only mutter in surprise from how this girl has cybernetics that can reduce the need for food, water, and sleep. Having that kind of technology would revolutionize society on Earth.

"What did you say this time?"

"That basically means 'Wow'."

"Oh. Anyway, let's get you some sleep Karen." Miyo says maternally as she helps me walk to the inn.

When we make it to the village inn and enter our room, we find that it has two beds, meaning that one of us will have to sleep on the floor or a chair.

"Okay; Izumi, Karen, you two go get some sleep. I'll stay awake and do a little research. Actually, I want to look at your gauntlet Karen, you mind loaning it to me for the night?"

"Why do you want to look at it Miyo?" I ask, wanting to know why she wants my gauntlet; particularly since Ophelia worked on it a good deal.

"What can I say; I'm a technology addict and it looks like there are a number of computer programs embedded within the central core. Besides, I imagine I could easily upgrade those programs."

"You want to upgrade my gauntlet?"

"Yeah, but if you don't want me to, I won't push you."

I hum as I try to think of an answer and nod "Sure" I say as I take off the gauntlet and pass it to her.

"Excellent. I'll avoid tearing it apart too much. I'll get it back to you in the morning. Go get some rest Karen, Izumi."

Izumi and I then quickly get into our beds and I see Izumi instantly fall asleep though it's taking me a little bit more time, but I fall asleep just as quickly as her.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [6:00] August 4th 20XX

Location: [Meteli Inn]

Miyo apparently really does keep things to a very strict schedule since she woke me up at six sharp according to the clock in our room. I can easily feel the bags under my eyes since I had difficulty sleeping because of what happened between me, Nepgear, and my friends. Miyo quickly shows me what appears to be my gauntlet but radically transformed in appearance. Before, it only had a conventional steel overlay, but now it appears to be far more advanced in every single way.

"It took me a little bit of time, but I upgraded every single application this thing held, severed the connection to the network it was connected to, and I even had time to install four different applications, I even put in a voice changer feature. I have no idea who designed this kind of system, but I made everything incredibly streamlined compared to the old cluttered layout. That kind of layout the work of an absolute novice; I made just about everything voice-activated and or directed through mental commands, and best of all: It's far simpler to use. I actually inspected the sword you're using as well; It's a masterpiece! No other sword I have seen has ever had such...elegance and magical power. I even tried to adjust your gauntlet to act as a sort of tuner to the magic inside the sword though I failed with that one. This particular strand of magic looks too uncontrolled to me, though I will admit I barely can understand it. Something about this magic is extraordinary but I can't translate it." Miyo rambled on pretty fast, to the point where I barely understood her, so I had to look through my memory to figure out what she had said to me. She then gives me my gauntlet back after speaking.

"What do you mean translate magic?" I stare at the new gauntlet in awe though I frown at how Miyo criticized Ophelia when she gave it her all to make this technology "Wow, this is crazy remarkable Miyo. How did you do all this?"

"Hehe, I'm from a civilization famous for their technology. Something like this is child's play. Anyway; maybe translate was a bad term to use in this situation. It's just that Izumi taught me how to identify magic on a different level. I can't identify magic if it's used against me in battle since it requires instantaneous perception which I can't pull off too well, er, I'm rambling. Look, I just...well. I can see ancient magic embedded in the blade. I just can't figure out its effects. Do you know?"

"_Should I tell her Caelus?_"

"_**Karen, no. Telling her about the magic would give me away. That strand of magic is tailored to my own DNA. If she figures it out, she'll find out about me. I don't want people finding out about me. Not while ASIC still exists.**_"

"_So are you saying that if we take out ASIC, you'd be more inclined to reveal yourself to people?_"

"_**Well. Maybe. I just don't want my identity revealed when faith in Arfoire is so powerful. Remember that I nearly died trying to seal her away. And now my work is close to being undone.**_"

"Karen, are you going to answer my question?"

"Oh, uh. No, I don't know what the magic does to be honest. I'm not good with magic to be frank. I'm a tactician by trade." I half-lie when I speak with Miyo. Considering that Caelus said that this is a touchy subject, I don't want to push it too much.

"Interesting. We've been needing a strategist. We have no formation between the two of us. We've just been fighting no holds barred. No hint of strategies whatsoever. Hehe…" Miyo says with a sheepish smile before nervously chuckling at the end.

"Are you telling me that you've been fighting with no strategy for...how long ago?"

"Ten years for me, six for Izumi."

"How...just...how…?" I weakly ask, seriously wondering how these two survived _years_ of fighting without strategy.

"I've used my own special flamberge sword which can convert into a heavy rifle while Izumi uses her staff and magic. The monsters usually aren't that strong so we didn't need strategy to fight them before. But now, it's getting tougher to fight them since they're getting stronger and stronger."

"Oh, I see." I say, since I'm starting to understand the situation a little now.

"Anyway, it's never been easy for me to wake up Izumi, so ya mind doing a little shopping? We'll meet you at the plaza." Miyo asks this of me as she passes me a sheet of paper and a pouch of what I presume to be credits.

"Sure." I say as I stumble out of the room "_Caelus, if you can, I could use a little boost._" I ask while walking about as best I can.

"_**No can do. You need to toughen up. CPUs rarely need to eat or sleep.**_"

"_But I'm not a damn CPU. I'm still human remember?_"

"_**Ever heard of preparation Karen? You need to make your body grow accustomed to this level of strain. You'll be better off for it.**_"

"_Fine fine._" I groan, trying to avoid thinking of my fatigue and just focus on the task that Miyo gave me.

* * *

I walk around the village to buy what is on this shopping list and meet up with Miyo and Izumi who apparently was waiting for me

"Did ya get what was on the list Karen?" Miyo asks me in a calm manner.

"Yeah, well, all but one thing." I say as I pull the bag out of my inventory and pass it to her.

She looks through it thoroughly and simply shrugs, then apparently puts the bag in her own inventory since I see it fade into pixels "Oh, I see. Well, that one thing isn't too major. We can try getting it in a different town. Anyway, let's go. I contacted our future client while I was trying to wake up Izumi and told her about her current situation. We have a month and a half to meet her before she terminates her offer to us. Although we have a bit of time, we'd better make haste, since it'll take about a month to reach Lowee from here."

"Alright. Let's get this over with." I sigh, heading out of town with my party members in tow.


	9. Chapter 8: Migratory Monster's Assault

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:00] September 1st 20XX

Location: [Lowee]

* * *

Although it took a fair amount of time, we've finally made it to Lowee's capital. While I didn't notice at the time, Miyo had uploaded a skill to my gauntlet called Energy Drain when she gave it back to me that apparently drains power from a directed target and temporarily gives it to me as a small boost of strength. I don't know much about this skill and it has no description so I can't find out how specific this thing is capable of being and I haven't had the opportunity to test this in battle yet so I can only make assumptions. One tiny irritant I have about this new gauntlet is that it can't create skills the way it did before the upgrade. So while I still have Lambent Blast and Dark Saber, I can't get any others the way I'm accustomed to. Miyo said that the method has changed from the previous sensory recognition system to one where I could freely create skills via inputting a set number of parameters and it then randomizes and creates the skill based on what I desire it to be, so I guess that can be considered an upgrade, but the differing system is a bit complicated to use and I'm a little fearful that I'll make skills I can't do. Ophelia's system atleast ensured that the skills I would acquire would be things I'd be able to fully handle.

Back on August sixth, (I'm relieved that this world's calendar is the same as the one on Earth, or perhaps it's translated because of the gauntlet, either way, I'm just relieved since I don't need to worry about getting dates mixed up) while I was doing morning training, I sent an update report to Histoire and she told me that she contacted Lowee's Oracle to have her assist me as much as she can. She told me that, while she left out the matter of my secret mission, the Oracle for the nation: Mina Nishizawa would provide me with as much assistance as she can. What gives me a degree of relief is that Nepgear and the others reported that they are staying in Lastation until they build up Shares with Mamoru, Shino, and Yuuki's assistance, them all being told of how I'm a traitor to the CPUs like I planned, though I am a little despondent being called that, but I have no choice but to play up the charade for now since Nepgear and the others won't accept me back easily, if at all. They all estimated that it'd roughly take half a month to a month to complete all the necessary quests to build Lastation's shares to a stable level and then another month to reach Lowee, so the three of us can really take our time to find the Mascot of this land. That gives me roughly two months to find this one and find my way to Leanbox. I actually questioned Miyo about why there's no land-based transportation in this world outside cities, and all I got was a shrug, which slightly irks me.

* * *

Chirper Events:

Lily Rank 3 - Karen, Miyo, Izumi

"Hey Karen, ya know, I've been wanting to ask you something for a little while now."

"What would that be Miyo?" I ask, wondering what Miyo wants to ask me since she's never pushed me for information before.

"What is your world like?"

"My world?" I put my fist on my chin as I try to remember it since I've been more focused on helping the CPUs "Er, I can't remember right now. I haven't thought it in a long while."

"Fair enough. When you remember, just tell me."

"Will do. But since you asked me, I have the right to ask you about your worlds."

"True. But I can't give you a good answer sadly. I did tell you I've been stuck here a decade. I just turned sixteen a month ago, so since I was a kid when I ended up here, I didn't exactly have the greatest perception of my world then. The few things I can remember is that my world is named Isnia and my people are hyper-advanced, though we still are stumped by many things despite how good our technology is; this whole dimensional thing is one of them. I was working in my own lab when a portal of some kind opened and drew me in."

"I see. Mind if I ask about that armor I've seen you in?" I ask the girl, having seen her armor on occasion, mostly from when I had done my early morning training sessions.

"That armor? I got it as a baby which would grow with me for my first ten years, though I've had to extensively modify it over the years when I got to this world since the initial effects wore off years ago. Thankfully, the clothing here handles that purpose for the most part, though I've had to phase out a few. Okay Izumi, it's your turn to cough up your story to our new party member."

"Alrighty, anything for you Miyo~" Izumi responds with a flirtatious smile, making Miyo sigh in disbelief before looking toward me "I'm from a world called Elbance which is choked full of mana, which allows us Elbians to use magic, which is not like the kind of magic here. I could also fly back in my world because of that mana, but now that flight ability is null and void. While I'm still technically a child at fourteen, I did have a little talent with healing magic but I think I messed up a magic spell and it brought me here. Miyo was the first person I met in this world and it was like love at first sight."

"Correction, you tackled me out of nowhere and took my first kiss. You're the deluded whackjob who insists that we're in love. It certainly didn't help a whole lot since I was ten and you were eight at the time. Remind me why I went out of my way to be your friend because of what you did." Miyo interrupts with a sheepish blush, and I blush in turn, though a part of me can't help but be disgusted when Miyo brought up the age matter, and although she used a rather harsh choice of words at the end, it didn't sound angry at all.

It looks like Izumi is currently fourteen based on the information I have. Miyo was six when she got here, and Izumi was eight. Aye, these two are just kids taken away from their families at a young age, too young. I atleast am eighteen so I'm a full adult and I'm a little too used to this kind of situation.

"You're mean Miyo, you know you love me." I have no idea if Izumi is kidding or not with this but I am praying that she is merely joking around "Anyway, wow old are you Karen? We've actually never learned your age." Izumi asks me rather casually.

"I'm eighteen." I answer with a simple nod.

"Oh, I knew I felt a real motherly vibe from you Karen." Izumi says with a happy tone, though I groan very strongly.

"What's wrong? Izumi complimented you, and be glad it's not one of her usual flirtatious remarks, she has thousands, trust me."

"I just don't like being called a mother is all. I only recently became an adult and there's no way I'm going to be a parent any time soon."

"Oh, fair enough Karen. Izumi, let's cut her a little shack, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

Back to story

"We've made it faster than I thought. Izumi and I need to go meet with our client, so feel free to walk about the city."

"Actually, I need to meet with the Oracle. It's part of my job to be honest."

"Oh, you're meeting with her too? That's convenient. Let's go then."

Miyo and Izumi had actually changed from their different clothes to their normal clothing, without the enchantments, before they entered the city since they said that they don't want to hide behind mirror images, so I decide to follow suite even though it feels weird wearing these clothes since I haven't since June after I looked at the time and date with my gauntlet.

"_Wow, it's been nearly three months already._" I mumble in my head, recognizing the date as I look at my gauntlet.

I walk with my party to the Basilicom and when we enter, when we see two young girls with brown hair, one wearing a pink coat and the other wearing a blue coat, run in our direction.

"We really got her this time Rom!" The girl in pink says with a mischievous smile.

"I'm...scared." The girl in blue says quietly as she covers her face.

Izumi silently walks toward the two girls, while Miyo and I walk casually

"Rom, Ram, are you two causing trouble again?" Izumi asks in a mischievous tone as she catches the pair in a bear hug.

"Eh?" The girl in pink yelps in surprise, apparently not knowing Izumi was there "Oh! Miss Izumi! Miss Miyo! I'm glad you two are back!"

"I'm...glad you're back...Miss Izumi...Miss Miyo."

"Glad to see you too, you pranksters!" Izumi says in a very upbeat tone as she playfully rubs their heads.

"_If you ask, Izumi thinks of the twins as her little sisters and spares them what happens to people like you or me._" Miyo whispers to me and I nod in turn from what she had told me.

"Mind giving me an introduction Miyo, Izumi?" I ask a little nervously, wanting to know the girls' names.

"Oh, right. The girl in pink is named Ram. Her sister here is named Rom." Miyo says with a gentle smile.

"Ram's a bit of a prankster and is very playful. Rom on the other hand, she's a quiet sort, but she's polite atleast." Izumi says, giggling a little bit.

At this point, a blue haired adult woman begins running toward us, though she's covering her ears for some reason; perhaps because of the prank that the twins pulled.

"Rom! Ram! I need you two to return to your rooms, we have...guests...coming." The woman says in a mildly panicked tone before looking toward us "Oh, Izumi, Miyo, you're back. Are you ready to begin work?" The woman says, regaining her composure.

"Of course Miss Mina." Miyo says with an energetic smile, though it fades rather fast "Actually, may I ask what this job is about? You didn't exactly say much about it."

"Let me address this formally. The job I am offering to you and Izumi is the role of caretaker to Rom and Ram in addition to myself. Ever since you four met a year and a half ago, Rom and Ram always ask me when you two will return to play with them. Even though I know about your background with your associates, you had little loyalty to them correct?"

"Pretty much. We do have our own needs and our past employer paid for our work. But I wish to ask Miss Mina, considering our lives prior to this, what exactly will this position offer us?" Miyo inquires.

"In an economic stance, you'll be considered live-in servants. As my own person however, you'll be like family to us."

"mmm; Miss Mina, is there a time limit on how long we can accept or deny the job?" Miyo asks with a mild groan, apparently thinking my mission against ASIC may take priority over this job here considering the time we've spent getting her and talking about the situation.

"You don't want to stay with us Miss Miyo?" Ram asks with a mild pout, since I guess that she and her sister really wanted Miyo and Izumi to stay here.

"It's not that Ram, it's just that our new party member: Karen, she's fighting against ASIC and well."

"I see now, you wish to stay with her to defeat ASIC correct?" Mina says as she pushes her glasses up.

"Yeah, besides we have our own bone to pick with ASIC." Miyo responds with a tone which appears to be calm anger.

"Karen, I apologize if I'm asking a personal question, but I'm sensing an unusual aura about you. Is there a reason for this?" Mina asks me.

"**I will answer that question Mina. My name is Caelus, and I merged my consciousness with Karen's in order to save both our lives.**" I'm surprised that Caelus spoke up when she wanted to keep low, but I imagine that since we're around people loyal to the Console Patron Units, she feels comfortable enough revealing herself.

"Caelus? You're alive? I'm surprised. I would like to humbly request your aid in rescuing our nation's CPU." Despite what Mina had said, she does not look surprised in the slightest, though Miyo, Izumi, Ram, and Rom are.

"**And you will have it. I am not not going to stand aside and let ASIC win, not when I've committed so many resources trying to defeat them. Although I am incapable of fighting them myself, I have selected Karen Koizumi as my avatar.**"

"Hold up. Karen, why didn't you tell us you're a CPU?!" Miyo asks me in a tone that's mixed with surprise and curiosity.

"Technically I'm not a CPU, yet." I say to Miyo rather casually, with a tone saying that I'll explain later, before looking toward Mina "Putting that aside; Oracle Mina, I actually came here to fight against ASIC, however, I need to find out where the Mascot Character is for this nation to do that."

"Unfortunately, I don't know where to find the Mascot Character exactly, but Histoire has told me that Mascot Characters are in dungeons, so I've compiled a list of the dungeons here in Lowee." Mina says as she pulls out a scroll from inside her robe and gives it to me "Here you go."

"Thank you. I suppose I should get going."

"Wait, it'll take you a long time if you go now. Let me give you full access to Lowee's fast-travel network so you can quickly find the Mascot character for this land. Normally you need to visit the various places on your own, but we can grant top-priority access if the need demands it and your fight against ASIC warrants this. And as long as you're staying here in Lowee, I offer you residence here in this Basilicom."

"I am deeply honored by your kindness." I respond with a sincere bow to Mina's generosity.

"She may be right to be honest Karen. Let's take Mina's offer and thoroughly research the dungeons from here in the Basilicom. Let's go have some fun Ram, Rom." Miyo says to me before running elsewhere with Izumi, Ram, and Rom, leaving me and Mina in the main chamber, with me seeing her sigh deeply in relief.

"I'm a little thankful that those two will be around to help me deal with Ram and Rom, atleast for a little while. As sweet as those two can be and as loyal I am to Blanc, they're a handful; though Miyo and Izumi are able to keep them calm thankfully." Mina says with a calm looking smile "Feel free to explore the Basilicom. I have some work I need to do, but I wish to speak more with you when time permits."

"I'd like that Oracle." I smile in return, seeing Mina walk off to a different part of the Basilicom, and with her gone, I walk to one of the pews and I sit down and lean back, looking up toward the ceramic glass windows, noting it's extremely beautiful design, almost identical to those of churches in my world. I take a very deep breath as I stare at the windows "It's been a long while since I've had a chance to relax like this. It's been nothing but training in the morning, walking all day, and sleeping at night." I say out loud, though my tone is a little quiet since I don't want to disturb anyone who may be nearby.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:30] September 1st 20XX

Almost immediately, I feel a gentle tug on my arm and when I look to see, I see the girl in blue standing next to me

"You're...Rom right?" I ask, wanting to make sure this is the same girl, with my answer being a simple nod "Is there something you want Rom?"

"Do you...want to play a game...with us?" Rom softly asks me, but her tone is so quiet I barely heard her.

"Um, maybe later Rom. I need a little time to recover my energy. I went through rigorous sword training this morning, so I'm a little tired."

"Oh. Okay." Rom quietly says as she walks away to where I guess the others are.

When Rom left, I look up to the windows again, hoping that the exquisite design can help soothe some of the tension I still have about this situation, particularly concerning my friends. I wonder if Mamoru ever felt like this during Aincrad since Akihiko forced him to work as his agent for most of our time there. If Mamoru hadn't used the system controls to force the door open, we would've been forced to kill him back then, and I just know that would've hurt, if not utterly destroy, Haruka. I can only dread the possibility that they'll actually go through with the plan to kill me.

"_Aye, I've never really felt this off-guard before. You would think that the shock of this would've faded by now, but I can't help but feel like there's a weight on my heart._"

"_**Sometimes you have to make tough choices Karen, you must know that right?**_"

"_Geez, I can't even have my own private thoughts anymore? Geez, talk about an invasion of privacy Caelus._" I say in my mind, making it clear that I don't like her reading my thoughts.

"_**I can't help it Karen. It's like you said when we spoke with the Lastation Mascot: We're one and the same now. While I'm keeping a small wall over my own memories, I can see your own memories very fluently.**_"

"_Wait, if that's true, can you search my memories for what I was doing before coming here to Gamindustri? I've forgotten._"

"_**What kind of tactician forgets about her own operations? Very well, give me a minute.**_" Caelus actually had the gall to mock me about how my memory has been a little sketchy when it comes to details about Earth. I can only guess that my death from the Graveyard made me forget. I am so tempted to lash out against her, but I need to be a bigger person here "_**Hm, according to what I can gather from your memories, you were in some place called Gun Gale Online. You were trying to find someone called Death Gun.**_"

"_GGO...Death Gun. I think I remember having to deal with something like that. I'll write that down, but it's likely that I won't have to deal with that at all._" I say as I write the details in a note-taking app, wanting to remember this for later.

"_**Look, I can't exactly stop myself from reading your thoughts since it just happens now, but I'll try to compromise: I'll try to keep quiet when you want to have a private moment. That's the best I can do considering the action I made.**_"

"_Right. You forced this on me and according to what you said, it's impossible to reverse this._" I say with a mildly despondent tone as I reflect on what happened. As thankful as I am that I was saved from death, some of the side-effects are not things I like much.

"_**Okay, now you're just pouting. Based on your memory, you rarely act like this, so buck up.**_"

I feel Caelus going to sleep at this point, so I decide to pull out the scroll and investigate the dungeons here in Lowee. I see that there are four dungeons in this nation: Atari Marsh, Iris Field, the World Maze, and a place called Lowee Global Expo. Based on this scroll, the last dungeon is in the east half of Lowee, and the others are western bound. Once I look through it, I put the scroll back in my inventory. I think I may try sneaking away when I regain my strength because I don't want to bother Miyo and Izumi since Rom and Ram really seem to like them, so I plan on doing this solo. While I could figuratively find this Mascot within a day or two if I work non-stop, I want to work at a leisurely pace and leave Lowee when Nepgear and the others depart from Lastation. While they waste their time coming here, we'll bypass them entirely and use the time to find Leanbox's Mascot.

"_But wait. They could deem Lowee's mascot lost to them and go to Leanbox. That would endanger this nation. I'll need to work on quests to build Lowee's shares if that's the case. Unless I mess up big time, I'll atleast get one Mascot and that'll force one final battle between me and the others._"

After thinking about this, I take Celeste's sheathe out from my inventory, draw the sword, and simply stare at the shiny luster of the blade

"_I wish things could be as simple as this sword. It'd be so much easier._"

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] September 1st 20XX

Location: [Lowee Global Expo]

After I regained my strength, I snuck out to this dungeon and notice the place swarming with monsters. As strong as I've gotten, I doubt I'll last against this many considering that I'm only wearing conventional clothing, but I can't back away after I've come so far. Caelus clearly knew since she decided to speak up again.

"_**You don't need to worry Karen. Celeste's magic enchantment comes in layers. It's default power when wielded by her true owner is full mastery of the sword, the next ability comes after being in close proximity of the blade and has engaged in battle. It grants a set of armor that changes depending on the mind of the beholder. It's not something that changes freely, more like: It has a different look per person. Ignoring the fact that you are only the second person to ever use Celeste, I did make the enchantment to work that way. I'm rambling, but look, just focus on spawning your armor and it'll protect you.**_"

I follow Caelus' instructions and I see some sort of beam spawn above me and it slumps down to my feet and I feel the armor assemble on my person as it descends. I notice that the nearby walls have a shiny glass which is letting me see what this thing looks like and it's remarkably well-done.

"Holy cow. Is there anything that this world is incapable of doing?!" I exclaim in shock, noticing that my voice sounds muffled from the helmet.

"_**This world is full of wonders and miracles Karen. While there obviously are limits, just about anything you think you can do, you can.**_"

"_Heh, thanks._"

I draw Celeste as I notice five cube like monsters rapidly approaching me

"_**Remember that the monsters no longer see you as an ASIC agent, so they will try to kill you in battle.**_"

"_Got it._"

The monsters quickly surround me and rapidly attack me, giving me no opportunities to attack since they are attacking me in too perfect a sequence and that is forcing me on defense. These things must be trying to wear me down so I'll be easy prey to their attacks, and while it'll take time because of all the training I've been doing in addition to the armor, it'll happen at some point. Right when I notice two of them beginning to attack after I blocked an attack, they all get destroyed with well-timed rifle rounds based on the sounds I heard before they vanished into pixels. I quickly look back to see Izumi and Miyo rapidly rushing toward me; Miyo holding a rather unique, and massive, carbine rifle and Izumi holding her staff, with it being as massive as Miyo's rifle. They both are wearing armor and considering that I can tell what Izumi is wearing: a pink bionic suit with white trims and a dark pink visor with what appears to be a futuristic kind of ribbon keeping her hair in pigtails. As a result I can tell that the white juggernaut is Miyo.

"Karen, why didn't you tell us you were coming out here?! Do you trust us that little?" Miyo demands with a calm kind of fury as she strongly slaps me and that can be rather terrifying based on the experiences I've seen in the last five years. I gotta say, although I'm still wearing my armor, that slap hurt like mad.

"It's not like that. I didn't want to interrupt you two from being with Rom and Ram; you two were hired to help watch over them, not help me with fighting ASIC."

"Karen, that is one thing and this is another! We're a party and party members don't do stuff like this. Besides, we told Mina that we wouldn't be taking the job right now. As much as we like the twins, we do have priorities and taking down ASIC is more important here. We'll spend time with them while we're here in Lowee in addition to us doing quests to build shares."

"I...Sorry guys. I didn't want to bother you all, so I wanted to come on my own." I say with a quiet tone, and even though Miyo is younger than me by a few years, she certainly does have what it takes to talk me down, and I won't deny: I am stubborn when I need or want to be.

"Since we've already come all this way, let's search this dungeon and see if the Mascot is here. Let's go Karen, Izumi." Miyo says rather calmly, and I honestly think that she's vented all of the anger out of her system based on her tone.

* * *

We continue through the dungeon, fighting the various monsters in the area and the three of us encounter another girl fighting monsters on her own. Her weapons of choice is extremely unorthodox, even by fantasy standards, as I see her using a kendama, a yo-yo, a frisbee, and a pachinko (I am kinda wondering why this world's population appears to be fully female since I haven't seen any guys in this world aside from Katsuo, Kazuto, and Mamoru, ignoring the fact that they came with me from my world. Are all of the males brought here from other worlds maybe? This is a mystery I'm not sure if I want to find out about. Also, I am seriously wondering why this girl is using weapons that are this unorthodox, though when I remember Compa's syringe, I tremble in fear as I've seen her use it a few times.) I glance at the girl and she is rather short, has red hair with the left side having a half-ribbon style being held together by an actual black colored ribbon with yellow beads attached to it. Although I can't see her front, it looks like she's wearing Chinese attire and it looks like she has a metallic dragon with a gold coating wrapped around her waist and the head being next to her own head.

"Oh dear goddess, no. Just no. It _had_ to be RED." Miyo groans in irritation, making me a little confused, especially since I see Izumi slightly tremble, the last person I expected to tremble when it came to encountering girls.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't like that girl much. She's like me, but too much of an extremist." Izumi simply mutters in my direction with a small frown, really making me confused now.

"But, you're-"

"Look, I'm not an extremist. I don't go all the way like that girl, I just like the thrill of the hunt, I don't want to capture my prey." Apparently Izumi knew what I was going to ask and easily responded.

"But what about Miyo said?"

"I was younger and I was having adverse effects from a lack of mana flowing through my veins. I couldn't control myself at the time, so I was a bit stir-crazy, but I've managed to adapt." Izumi explains to me with a nervous chuckle as I guess she recalls that particular time in her life.

"Miyo, you could've told me that earlier, I was fearful that Izumi would've jumped me."

"Sorry about that. Let's hope that we can just ignore her." Miyo says with a mild apology, before trying to walk around the girl without being seen, which doesn't work sadly as this girl: RED heard Miyo and she dashes toward us.

"Wifey three and four, good to see you two again!" The girl says with an extremely giddy tone, though her tone is extremely familiar, making me remember something from Earth.

"Huh? Yui? What are you doing in this world?" I subconsciously ask, as I recognize the girl's voice, though all three stare at me when I said this.*

"Eh? Who's Yui?" RED asks, tilting her head slightly. Izumi and Miyo simply shrug at my mention of the name, figuring that I'm speaking of a person I know but they don't.

"Er, just someone I know. You just sound like her is all."

"Oh, okay then Wifey five!"

"W-Wifey five?!" I exclaim in utter horror, looking toward Miyo and Izumi to get some kind of help, though any hope of help got shot down as they look away, apparently leaving me to my fate.

"RED, why are you even here?" Miyo inquires with a semi-hidden frown.

"Oh right. Madam Histoire sent me here to Lowee to help someone named Karen. I was told she'd be in an Loweean dungeon so I scoured over all trying to find this person. I thoroughly searched Atari Marsh and Iris Field and got nothing. This was my next stop."

"Histoire sent you to help me?" I ask in surprise. I never anticipated Histoire sending someone to help me like this. I planned on me doing this on my own, no help whatsoever, but lady luck seems to like me even though I'm backstabbing my friends as far as they know. Miyo and Izumi agreed to work with me at Brave's request to avoid their 'termination' and this RED was apparently sent by Histoire to aid me. I suddenly have a flashback to when Yuuki said that Kazuma and Ophelia had sent her to help me and my friends but she lied, having found a way to use the portal Ophelia made to get to our estate in Alfheim.

"You're Karen? Sweetness! This is very good! I find myself a new wifey and I am reunited with Wifeys three and four."

While a part of me wants to believe she's being honest about being sent by Histoire, I need to make certain, so I decide to contact Histoire myself for confirmation and I switch to a thought-only frequency "_Histoire, you there?_"

"_Is there something you wish to ask me Karen?_"

"_Yeah, this girl RED said that you sent her to help me, is that true?_"

"_That's right. I hired her to help you find the Mascot Characters. But be aware that if you get even one Mascot, it'll force a battle between your group and Nepgear's. I know that you said you wanted this private but Ophelia caught on to our plan, but she swore to keep this a secret even though she wasn't too fond of the idea. She did say that she expected this kind of thing out of you however._"

"_Heh, that doesn't surprise me too much. I've known Ophelia for years and I just imagine that she's able to read me like a book. Anyway, I got what I need. Thanks Histoire._"

"_It is my pleasure. Is there anything else you need to talk about?_"

"_Actually yeah. I need Nepgear's group diverted a little if possible._"

"_I cannot, in good conscience, do such a thing. if you work fast, you can build Lowee's shares and hurry to Leanbox. They will be going that way no matter what._"

"_Got it. I'll proceed as fast as the wind._"

I end the call and then remember what RED said about visiting the other dungeons "Wait, you said you went to Atari Marsh and Iris Field, right?" I ask RED, getting an instant nod in response "Did you see any large rock formations deep within the dungeons?"

"No. I didn't see any; why do you ask Wifey?"

"_So the Mascot is either here in this dungeon or in World Maze. Pretty damn convenient._" I mumble in my mind, relieved that a good part of my search here in Lowee has been reduced big time. That doesn't exactly mean I get to spend less time here since I need to still build up Lowee's shares "It's part of the job you were hired for RED."

"Ah, I see now. Wifey three, four, and five; let's proceed with the operation!" RED exclaims happily, dashing ahead into the dungeon.

"Er, shouldn't we be trying to stop her?" I ask with a mild mumble, trying to gain sense of the situation again.

"Eh, let her do what she wants. The one compliment I'll give is that she's much stronger than she looks." Izumi groans as she slowly follows suite.

"If it's not clear already, Izumi doesn't like RED. While I can never believe myself when I say it; I prefer dealing with Izumi than RED since Izumi keeps the cap at teasing; RED has no cap."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [16:00] September 1st 20XX

Location: [Lowee Global Expo]

I believe we've finally reached the exit since I see a giant dragon creature and considering the other monsters I've seen here, this one is not your average monster.

"Oh crap, crap, crap! Why is there a Guardragon here?! We need to get out of here!" RED, Izumi, and Miyo all exclaim in utter horror. Apparently there's something utterly scary about this monster, though I don't see it.

"What's wrong?"

"Karen, Izumi and I fought one of these with Brave, Judge, Trick, and Magic once, roughly two years ago. We were barely able to weaken it and it badly damaged Brave and Judge, in addition to us being pretty badly hurt. Magic and Trick actually stayed behind to ensure we evacuated a village full of people that worshipped them. When they made it back; the two of them were so badly hurt I'm amazed they were able to walk at all. We need to...Wait, this is the same one!" Miyo explains with a degree of panic before exclaiming the last part, any semblance of calm serenity in her being gone as she stares at the monster.

"How can you tell?" I ask as I take up a defensive stance with Celeste drawn.

"Look at its wings. That same monster actually ripped off Magic's and uses it for itself."

"Wait, my beloved wifeys work for the Arfoire Syndicate of International Crime?"

"This is not the time RED!" Izumi shouts with a tone that borders both anger and extreme fear.

"You guys are overreacting too much." I sigh as I charge, believing that no monster is intelligent enough to beat me. The only two reasons I had trouble with the Ancient Dragons at the start was how I had no idea how combat worked in this world at the time and I didn't have the physique to handle combat beyond a point. I've become much stronger since then.

"Karen no! Izumi, get a barrier around her!" Miyo shouts, with Izumi quickly casting the spell as I see a sort of transparency cover my armor, which I guess is the barrier spell.

I quickly see the monster move with the speed of an avalanche and swiftly slashes against me and the slash sends me flying past Miyo, Izumi, and RED. I'm surprised that the monster's slash was able to instantly destroy the barrier and shattered parts of my armor as I feel the strong slash against my skin.

"WAH!" I shout as I get sent flying like a ragdoll, landing rather harshly against a wall "Oww...that hurt even with armor on. I… I feel weak." I say with my voice becoming weaker and weaker by the second.

"_**Karen, that was just stupid! They warned you that the monster that extremely powerful but you charge in anyway?! What kind of tactician are you?!**_"

"_Urg...not the time Caelus…_" I groan to her in my mind, my voice being very reticent. I quickly notice Miyo, Izumi, and RED surround me.

"Izumi, use an Eject Button, fast!" Miyo exclaims, shooting the monster multiple times with her carbine trying to slow the monster down since I see the monster momentarily stop each time even though the guard gauge barely took a dent.

Izumi swiftly throws the button toward the ground and a magic circle appears underneath us when the device shattered; enveloping us all in light just in time as the monster took a swing at us. When the light fades, I find ourselves outside the Basilicom in Lowee thankfully, though it's getting tough for me to maintain consciousness though I know I can feel something spreading through my body.

"Okay, we need to hurry and find Gust. She surely can treat you Karen. Izumi, help me carry her."

* * *

A/N: If you're wondering why Karen said this, it's rather simple. RED's seiyuu (japanese term for voice actor) is Kanae Ito, who plays Yui in Sword Art Online.


	10. Chapter 9: Uneasy Alliance

A/N: I know what I said about me not doing any more POV changes, but I'm rephrasing it a little. I'll do POV changes atleast one more time and if I do any more after this, it'll be the entire chapter in that person's POV, not small segments.

Also, I'm reposting this chapter since I made a rather big change to it.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [16:30] September 1st 20XX

Location: [Lowee Basilicom]

POV: Miyo

Although we managed to escape from that wandering Guardragon before it got the chance to kill us, Karen was reckless and charged in, which resulted in her getting badly hurt. I quickly feel my armor evaporate, for lack of a better term, and I see Izumi's do the same, though Karen's armor is still active for some reason. Unlike myself, Izumi, and RED, who are standing; Karen's on the ground, seemingly unconscious, though I can't tell since her helmet is blocking her face. When I crouch down to her side, I can barely hear her breath, and her little breathing appears rather coarse. That obviously must mean she's still pretty hurt from the attack.

"Thank goddess. That thing nearly got us." I say with heavy panting as we just barely dodged death's bullet.

"No kidding." Izumi weakly admits as I see her slightly shiver in fear.

"_That was so weird though. I've been here a decade and I've never seen monsters actually being able to migrate from dungeons before. That's worrying._" I say in my mind as I try to hide my own shivering. I've never seen that kind of capability in monsters here before.

Meanwhile, I can see Izumi and RED try to lift Karen, though they shout in pain as they try

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" They both exclaim as what little height they were able to bring Karen up to fell in an instant. I see them blowing into their hands after Karen's dropped to the ground, since apparently, the armor is very heavy.

"Okay, let me try." I say as I give picking her up a try. While I am able to lift her to a point, I grunt in pain though I'm able to do a little more than RED and Izumi "_Shit...that armor weighs a ton._" I scowl as I mentally direct my cybernetics to kick into overdrive as it's the only way I'll be able to realistically carry her, even though it'll end up burning it out, making them unusable. This was an unfortunate inevitability since the tech was beginning to wear down atleast a year ago. They only lasted this long because I barely used them. I then begin walking very slowly into the Basilicom though the long staircase truly irks me right now "_Who in their damn mind thought this was a good idea?_" I snarl in my mind since it's taking everything I have to carry her and if my cybernetics die before I make it inside the Basilicom, I am going to be in trouble.

When we finally make inside the Basilicom, I notice that Mina and the others were apparently waiting for us to return when we discovered that Karen snuck out on us.

"Miss Mina, where's Gust? We need one of her alchemical creations, fast!" I say as I try to support Karen even though she's heavy because of how she's still wearing her armor. Maybe whatever she contracted is keeping her armor sealed. I'm glad that my cybernetics is giving me the capability to bring her in since Izumi and RED got hurt trying. However, even with my cybernetics, I can only handle so much and when I put Karen on one of the pews, I can hear a small implosion in my cybernetics "_Aw man...I was hoping I could use them a little longer. Unless I can repair them, I can't use any of my own weapons anymore._"

"She's working in her workshop; is something wrong?"

"Karen got hurt fighting a very dangerous monster. I can't get this armor off her. Could you try helping me Miss Mina?" I say as I try removing Karen's helmet at the very least so she can freely breath, though it's sealed like the armor so I can't seem to do it.

"I'll try my best. Rom, Ram, go get Gust and bring her here." Mina says as she tries to help me remove Karen's helmet to no avail, no matter how hard we try "Caelus, we need your help. Based on this helmet's design, it appears like it can freely open its individual parts. Do you know how to open it?"

"**There's a button on the right side. It'll open the faceplate.**"

I look around Karen's helmet and I find the button that Caelus told me about. When the faceplate opens, I'm greeted with a horrifying image: Parts of Karen's face have some sort of black reptilian scale over it.

"Oh dear goddess! I have never seen something like this before!"

"N-Neither have I. I thought nothing would surprise me after a decade in this world, but I was clearly wrong."

* * *

Gust thankfully runs into the area with Rom and Ram in tow, wearing her usual blue apron dress and the giant bunny hat she always wears

"You call for Gust?"

"Yeah, we need your help to treat our friend Gust." Izumi pleads rather seriously, and I know that Izumi has never shown much interest in the girl since Gust is extremely business oriented, and her general unusual way of speaking really does confuse us both, though I ignore it for the most part.

"Will see what Gust can do." Gust calmly responds, walking toward Karen and waves her staff above her, which glows as she waves the staff. For the oddest reason, she appears utterly unfazed by the hideous black scales on Karen's face "Gust can see sign of unusual neurotoxin, no recorded ailments like this. Reptilian scales appear to be physical manifestation of poison progress. Neurotoxin is interfering with vital organs. Mysterious. Can feel magic barriers attempting to slow down neurotoxin. Gust will need special panacea. Gust also needs seashells, fish skeletons, and water soluble cloths as additional catalysts. Also, don't forget charge fee for synthesis."

"Yes, yes. I know of your fee Gust. So, we need to get twelve regular herbs, six refresh herbs, a hoodlum mask, seashells, fish skeletons, and water soluble cloths. Half of those will take us to Lastation. Wonderful." I say with a simple sigh before recalling that Karen came from Lastation before meeting us and it's likely that her friends are still in Lastation doing quests. There are only three dungeons there but we'll need to spend time in Rebeat and Septent Resort getting the necessary materials and the average quest would send people out to dungeons. We'll most likely meet up with her friends doing so. In addition, we'd need to go to Planeptune to get the Hoodlum Mask "Gust, Rom, Ram, can you three look over her? Izumi, we're going to Lastation. RED, I need you to get the herbs." Thankfully RED is very manipulatable since she's constantly trying to 'get points' with her 'wifeys', since she easily nodded in agreement to my request for her to get the materials that can only be found in Lowee. I guess we'll need to journey to Planeptune together to get the last material.

"Gust will waive this fee as customer loyalty bonus."

"Thank you. Let's go Izumi." I briefly smile toward Gust at the generosity of waiving a fee from her already extensive bill "Actually" I say as I walk toward Karen's body and hope that Caelus is still conscious, since I want to ask her something "Caelus, you there?"

"**I can't leave this body, but it's a pain trying to slow down this neurotoxin. I'm not letting her die on me.**"

"I see. Caelus, could I borrow Celeste for this little expedition?" I ask rather formally, since I need to keep myself armed.

"**Why do you want to take my sword?**"

"I lost what I need to handle my weaponry helping Karen. All of my weapons are too heavy for me to use without my cybernetics, so I need a light weapon for a while. Until I buy a new weapon in Lastation."

"**Hmm...very well. Just be aware that you won't be able to access her powers since you're not her true owner. She'll be nothing more than your average sword.**"

"Yeah, I don't care. I just need a weapon I can use; I have no problem not having any of its special powers." I say rather nonchalantly as I take Celeste's sheath and put it around my belt. I'm actually not too surprised that such a noble sword has a sheathe deserving of its noble heritage.

"Fascinating. So CPU is reason behind barrier." Gust speaks like she's not fazed by Caelus' presence, but considering that she works with Blanc, Rom, and Ram; she's probably not surprised seeing CPUs in her life "Would recommend haste. Gust and company can only delay so long."

"Got it Gust. We'll do this as quickly as possible." I say solemnly as I worriedly stare at Karen.

* * *

We then fast-travel to Lastation, finding ourselves outside the Basilicom as it's where people always end up when fast traveling to the nation capitals. I'm a little surprised that this place is empty, but I imagine that not many people are traveling right now with ASIC's growing influence.

"It's been a long time since we've been here Izumi. Hard to believe two years have passed." I say as I stare at the clean industrial city, trying to see if anything changed in the two year time lapse since we've been here.

"I know right? We haven't came here since we began working with ASIC as hired guns since we needed to put food on our plates. But why did you want to come to the capital Miyo? Shouldn't we be going to Rebeat and Septent Resort?"

"We will a little later. I need to visit the Guild and Kei. I need to check something."

"You're worried about that Guardragon being in the Global Expo aren't you?" Izumi says rather accurately. Considering we've been working together for six years, I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't able to read my thoughts to a point.

"Well, not just that, but in general. I have never heard of monsters capable of being migratory like that. I want to see if it's been happening in other nations as well. And if you want information, you visit the Guild or Lastation's Oracle. Let's get this dealt with fast."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [17:00] September 1st 20XX

Location: [Outside Lastation Basilicom]

As soon as I began walking toward the Basilicom I stop as soon as I hear a familiar voice

"Miyo, Izumi! What are you two doing here?"

We turn around to see IF with a bunch of people we don't recognize, wearing rather fancy outfits that Gamindustri offers. To my surprise, it appears that there are males with her and Compa. They clearly are from a different world since this world's native population is completely female, to the point to where the only males in this world originate from other worlds, or offspring of said male(s). Something that catches my eye are the gauntlets they're all wearing on their arms "_These are the exact same gauntlets I improved for Karen. These must be her friends._" I say as I glance at the gauntlets, having torn apart and greatly improved one myself.

"You know these two IF?" A girl with lilac hair asks as she glances in our direction.

"Yeah. these two are acquaintances of mine. They've been working with me for a while though they've been incommunicado the last couple of years. Why is that by the way?" IF says with a broad smile before it fades into mild curiosity as to why we cut all contact with IF roughly two years ago, which is when we began working with ASIC.

"I don't really feel like talking about it IF; we're here to get materials and quick." I say with a solemn frown, not wanting to spend too much chatting with old friends when Karen's in bad shape.

"Really now. Do you need help?"

"Why do you need materials? You mind divulging?" The man with crimson red hair and brown wardrobe asks with a rather calm tone in his voice.

"Wow. You really are male. It's been...quite a while since I've seen a guy actually. Obviously you're not from this world correct?" I say with quiet shock over seeing a male for the first time in a _very_ long while.

"Wait, you're not native to Gamindustri either?" The blue haired male asks with very visible surprise in his facial expression.

"Yeah, anyway, can we get introductions done? There are a lot of you here." Izumi asks as she looks toward all of the people with IF's group.

"Good point." IF says with a simple nod as she introduces the people in the group to us. Out of the people that she introduced, Mamoru and Yuuki catch my eye the most "Anyway, you never told us why you need materials."

"Oh yeah. Our new party member is sick with a new kind of neural toxin. We came to get materials so we can cure her."

"Oh my goodness. We need to help them IF!" Nepgear exclaims with a barely contained panic.

"This is new. You two usually work on your own. Who's this third person?" IF inquires, since she knows our pattern well enough, despite our long incommunicado.

"Oh yeah. Her name's Karen Koizumi. We've been helping her for a while now." I say, quickly noticing IF and Nepgear developing scowls, but seeing utter panic from Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, and Shino. Nisa, Compa, and Falcom's expressions are indifferent but appear concerned nonetheless.

"Oh hell no. I am not wasting a single second helping that damn traitor." IF states very stubbornly, making her desire in not helping very obvious. It's rather clear that Nepgear has a similar stance on the matter as well based on her expression.

"But IF!" Katsuo shouts, with him quickly project a fiery anger toward her before simply scowling and walks next to me "You know what, forget this! Miyo, Izumi, let's go. Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, Shino, you're with me right?"

All four of them nod and follow Katsuo's lead, surprising me since I never exactly expected such quick infighting here.

"You're helping the enemy here!" IF shouts back with the same kind of anger Katsuo just gave her.

"And I don't give a flipping damn! Karen is my friend and I refuse to let this stand. I'll sell my soul to the damn devil if it means she's okay."

"I'm agreeing with Katsuo on this one. I owe Karen my life back when I fought against you guys in Aincrad. I had truly expected you all to kill me back then. She made the choice to spare my life, and I don't believe she's done what you claim. She cares too much about us to stab us in the back, and if you want me to compare loyalty to you and loyalty to her; I'd obviously choose her. I've known her four years and I've only known you guys a few months. Let's go help them and save Karen."

"Nisa, Falcom, say something to these guys!"

"A superheroine must always support justice, but this heroine needs a respite." Nisa says with an energetic tone, though it began to fade as her speech went on "In other words; I'm tired from the extensive fighting IF." Nisa continues rather simply as she walks away, heading inside the Basilicom.

"I agree with Nisa on this one IF. Let them do what they want. We shouldn't make them choose sides on this one." Falcom says, following Nisa into the Basilicom.

"Compa?" IF pleads, apparently hoping to get someone on her side.

"Iffy, Katsuo and the others are worried about Karen. Let them help her. Just this once. Remember that we shouldn't force them to ignore their friend who's in trouble." Compa says with a gentle smile before looking toward me "Miyo, I want to make sure she's okay. The nurse in me demands it."

"Not that I don't trust you Compa, but we have people with healing magic watching over her. Besides, in her fragile condition, I don't want to let people who would try to hurt her get close." I say solemnly to the girl, making my decision voiced to her. I then see IF reluctantly walk away or rather, being pulled by Compa when I tell her that I don't exactly want these guys around her right now, not when trust is a little iffy.

"I know what that's like. C'mon guys, let's get what we need." Yuuki responds rather casually as she walks forward but stops "Actually, what do we need to get?" Yuuki asks sheepishly since she was about to take off without knowing what to get.

"Haha, you are too impulsive Yuuki." I chuckle as she walks back to us, though I cough a little to calm myself down "We need to get twelve herbs, six refresh herbs, a hoodlum mask, a dozen seashells, fish skeletons, and water soluble cloths, just to be safe."

"That's a big list. We unfortunately don't have any of those since we've been gathering materials like that for quests and giving them away straightaway. Working for the CPUs certainly isn't for the ambitious." Katsuo says with a small nod before he stares at me a little "Miyo, if we're gonna do this for you, I want to know what she's trying to do."

"Look Katsuo, Karen made us swear we wouldn't tell you guys anything. Please don't make me have to go against my promises." I regretfully say to him and while I feel awful keeping secrets from her friends; she wanted to keep her mission a secret, so I'll keep my mouth shut.

"We can worry about this later. Let's all get to Rebeat Resort-" Mamoru says before I cut him off a little.

"Actually, I think it'd be better if we split up and go into both Septent and Rebeat Resorts. I'm sure you know that there are only so many chances to gather materials in dungeons per day. But if you've been doing quests, the number of materials we could gather is low. We may not be able to gather much." I say rather logically. If these guys have been here as long as Karen, they wouldn't know all the unspoken rules of this world, not like me or Izumi, since we've been here ten years and six years respectively.

"Hmm, fair enough. Kazuto, Yuuki, Shino, I want you three to go to Septent Resort. Katsuo and I will go with Miyo and Izumi to Rebeat Resort. We should try to prep ourselves for an all-nighter if necessary."

"Actually Mamoru, you said that the monsters were a little stronger in Rebeat right? I should go with you on that one." Yuuki interjects with a hint of seriousness in her tone, though it's semi-hidden under her apparent constant optimism, though her statement intrigued me a little after what I've seen both today and roughly six months ago.

"What exactly did you mean by 'the monsters were a little stronger' Yuuki?" I ask with a little fear as my thoughts flash back to the Guardragon in the Lowee Expo and how I confronted it with the CFWs two years ago. I'm also asking to test a potential theory I have in my mind.

"It's been a little subtle, but the monsters seem to have gotten a little stronger over the last couple of days. Katsuo and I actually got hurt quite a bit fighting some in Endless Zone. Shino, I owe you for covering our retreat, we could've been in worse shape without you." Yuuki says with a sincere smile, with Shino simply bowing, showing a similar smile on her face.

"_That's...unnerving._" I mutter in my mind as that pretty much confirmed what I was dreading. Although it wouldn't affect the average person on a noticeable level, or so I hope; the monsters must be evolving on an accelerated level; perhaps it's a side-effect of how different worlds are connected to this one so perhaps there are corrective measures in place? I can only guess considering that I, even after spending a decade here, don't know how this world works when it comes to some things.

"Why did you ask us this Miyo?" Katsuo inquires as he glances in my direction.

"We recently encountered a monster we fought against two years ago, which made Karen sick with that neurotoxin. We had a group of six when we fought it before and it decimated us. One of our colleagues suffered greatly and had something important to her taken. It even sported it as a war trophy. Look um...we shouldn't dawdle. We need to get those materials ASAP. Our friends can only do so much."

"You're right. Let's hurry." Mamoru responds seriously as Kazuto and Shino vanish through use of the fast-travel network to Septent Resort, leaving myself, Izumi, Katsuo, and Mamoru in the plaza outside the Basilicom, though we quickly fast-travel ourselves to Rebeat so we can get materials for Gust.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [18:00] September 1st 20XX

Location: [Rebeat Resort]

After we fast traveled to this dungeon, I look around the area with an odd hint of nostalgia even though I really shouldn't have this feeling about a _dungeon_ of all things

"Okay. Izumi and I haven't been to this dungeon in over a year, so our knowledge of the layout and where to gather are rusty. I need you all to take the lead and gather the materials. We'll cover you."

"Thanks for the offer, but we can protect ourselves. We're rather accustomed to fighting after all." Mamoru says with a confident smile, with Katsuo and Yuuki grinning as well, though the three grins are creeping me out a little.

"Uh, that kind of smile is scaring me. You're making yourselves sound like sociopaths." I mutter nervously, praying that they won't be offended too much since I _am_ insulting them after all.

But to my surprise, Katsuo and Mamoru simply shrugs in face of my insult "While Yuuki is an exception here, both Katsuo and I have actually killed people before. But we're not heartless killers; we only did such acts to protect those close to us, so don't worry Miyo."

"Huh. You all must be really close if you're willing to kill for those close to you, well, that's a rather strong, if not strange, way to exhibit protectiveness." I admit rather sheepishly. I can see the underlying principles of their bonds if they're willing to kill to protect the people dear to them, but it terrifies me nonetheless. I can't help but feel envious though. Even though I'm close to Izumi, I never would be able to casually proclaim that I'd be willing to kill people for her like these guys.

"I call it repaying old debts. Karen kept me alive when I expected everyone to kill me. I owe her an extremely large debt because of that and while I'm not fanatic about it, I aim to repay her mercy." Mamoru responds rather quietly as he pulls back on his bowstring and when I look in the direction he's aiming at, I see a fish zombie on a different platform get hit with a rather well-timed arrow shot. Considering that if monsters become aware of long-range attacks, they prepare strengthened defenses to reduce damage unless they're distracted, it's kind of rare to see snipers fight well. Their arrows just don't work well at long range like this, atleast, as far as I've seen. Then again, I've never seen anyone not from Gamindustri use a bow before.

"Woah, _that's_ incredible. I have never seen someone use a bow that well before. I've seen master archers work in Leanbox, and they pale in comparison to you Mamoru." I say rather proudly when I see what Mamoru was able to do.

"Ehehe, it's because I've been practicing my archery since I was a kid. All of that training gave me 20/15 vision which has been a damn good asset in the last couple of years. Particularly Sword Art Online and Alfheim Online."

"Ya know Mamoru, I've always wondered why you favored the bow so much, but that really only answered part of my question." Katsuo says rather calmly though he clearly had a mild curiosity in his tone.

"You know my family's close, or rather, was close, with the Uchimayas?" Mamoru asks, with Katsuo solemnly nodding in recognition, though I fail to see the connection. It's probably part of their history and I have no interest in butting in "We Nakasones were sworn to aid them however we could as protectors. My parents tried fitting me with a variety of weapons when I was young, but I worked best with the bow and arrow. I didn't know who exactly I was supposed to protect way back then, but I learned of the fact when I was sent to them. It was humorous nonetheless."

"Yeah. That was a hectic time. Ya know, you actually pissed me off a little when we first met."

"Wow. You still hold a grudge over me taking one single kill?! How freaking petty are you Katsuo?!" Even though I had expected Mamoru to be truly angry after saying this, he is laughing his rear end off after saying this.

"Incredibly so, you good for nothing archer. Actually, I had to ask. How did you and Haruka know Japanese?" Katsuo says with a smug smile as he soon begins laughing just as much as Mamoru.

"Good question. Hector and Amelia were told of their contract to Argus a year prior, which gave them time to refresh their knowledge of Japanese, and teach us what we needed to know."

"Wow, you two seem really close." I say in quiet envy, since I never really made many friends in this world. The talk of family actually made me feel a little uneasy about something I haven't really thought about much: I was just six when I vanished, and I've been away from my world for ten years. Will my family even recognize me after ten years at the bare minimal? I remember that I spoke with Madam Histoire once when I was employed by Planeptune's Basilicom as a fighter and she mentioned that time moves far faster in this world than any other world. She was unable to give me specifics, so I can't help but dread the reaction my family will show if I make it back home; seeing their little girl vanish for maybe a few days or months and find her all grown-up. Talk about unnatural and awkward interactions.

"-okay Miyo?" I hear someone say, which helps snap me back to reality.

"Eh?" I rapidly ask as I look in different directions trying to find out who was speaking.

"Are you okay Miyo? You spaced out on us." Mamoru worriedly asks me, with Izumi glancing in my direction with the same kind of concern.

"I just thought about something I haven't thought of in a very long time. It does kind of concern all of us, in a small way."

"You mind if we have this conversation while we walk? I don't want to leave Karen sick any longer than necessary." Katsuo says with a mildly angry frown as he walks further ahead with Yuuki and Izumi.

"Don't mind him. He's protective of his friends. Showing compassion is a small reason why we survived as long as we did. Selfishness was something we discouraged since we all had to work together to survive. But well...that wasn't always the case sadly." Mamoru says as he pats me on the back, though he frowns near the end, which sparks my curiosity too much for me to ignore.

"That sounds major. You mind if I ask about it while we walk?"

"Sure." Mamoru says rather nonchalantly as he keeps his bow close to handle monsters that become hostile, with me keeping my hand on Celeste's sheath as I work best with a quick draw style when it comes to swords "It happened roughly four years ago in our world's first virtual reality game. The creator of the game trapped ten thousand of us and we weren't really unified at the start even though we had leaders. The primary problem was that they didn't know how to lead armies of men, so to speak. Karen, Katsuo, and Kazuto tried their best, but their skills were really inadequate back then. They weren't well liked as well when it came to leadership but they never hesitated to do their best to lead, even when they were facing harsh glares. But it all went to hell when one of our leaders died along with four squads of our best people, with few survivors. Trust in them leading the pack plummeted drastically and they were indirectly told to step down. Karen was the only one who refused, but she decided to form her own team since she was indirectly told to not lead in a significant way, but they concluded that one single team of five was fine. However, that team of five not only served their duty, but they damn exceeded all expectations; particularly from how we sadly were a little too used, atleast, at the start, to see larger teams get wiped out." I notice that during our talk that Katsuo, Yuuki, and Izumi went to the while Mamoru and I went left.

"Wow, what an origin story. That makes mine sound like a joke." I say half-sarcastically as I subconsciously compare that story to mine: simply being drawn through a portal when I was just six.

"I wasn't done actually." Mamoru grins as he draws his bow since I notice a fish zombie not too far from us. Getting any closer would certainly draw us into battle "Give me some cover, these monsters will certainly come after me once I begin shooting. I want to see how good you are in battle. I have confidence that even if you can't handle it, I can take charge."

"I've been in this world ten years, I know how to handle combat." I smugly smile as I pull Celeste's sheathe and hold it in my hand, though I see Mamoru look in my direction with a confused look on his face

"Aren't you going to draw your sword? You can't fight with a sheathe ya know."

"Trust me; just shoot, I got your back." I say confidently, and I particularly want to see how well I can fight with a sword this light. Before, I used my cybernetics to use massive two handed swords and rifles, but now, with my cybernetics out of operation; I want, or rather need, to adjust my combat style to account for light weapons. Hopefully it'll go rather smoothly considering all of the training I had with heavy weapons, so in that regard, I should be fine handling a sword this light.

I see Mamoru simply shrug as he pulls back his bowstring to fire an arrow toward the monster, though it notices the arrow and projects a barrier which reduces the damage it would cause. It then begins charging toward him though I run at it from the side as I keep my hand on Celeste's grip, and as soon as I get close, I rapidly draw Celeste and strike against the monster, with the guard gauge being destroyed in that one strike.

"_Wow, I suspected that a sword entrusted to a CPU would be powerful, but I never thought it'd be this powerful! If Karen is Caelus' avatar, she must have access to Celeste's powers; things I can't access. Those abilities must be what I detected in the sword when I met Karen._" I say in my mind as it processes what just happened.

Afterwards, Mamoru quickly shoots arrow after arrow, which I notice seem to be created when he pulls back on his bowstring; quite an interesting and useful ability since the only place to get arrows is in Leanbox, and since they don't export their weaponry, he would be screwed rather quickly if his bow didn't have that kind of gift, which destroys the monster after the barrage is completed.

"Impressive skill Miyo. I never expected you to be good at Iaijutsu." Mamoru says with a calm smile, though I blink in confusion.

"Er Mamoru, I can't understand your blasted Japanese language." I say as I try to soften my rather blunt response to what Mamoru said at the end.

"Sorry about that; it gets a little confusing since you can understand me is all. What Iaijutsu basically is a quick draw sword style in my world."

"Oh, I see." I say with a simple nod as I put Celeste back in her sheathe "Would you mind finishing your story?"

"Sure. Where was I?" Mamoru says as he lightly rubs his chin "Oh yeah. Karen's team had a real fire in their hearts. They were able to synchronize themselves very well compared to the others, which surprised a lot of us. Karen had strategies which helped boost their strength and the three main fighters all had unique attributes. Katsuo was the group's tank since his defensive skills were pretty good, Sylvia was the main damage dealer as a two handed weapon user, and Hikaru was so speedy that it was tough to keep up with him." Mamoru says as he apparently delves into nostalgia, even though I'm left in the dark as I don't know those last two people, and he apparently noticed "Sorry about that Miyo. I didn't mean to talk about things you don't know anything about, but when nostalgia hits, it's tough not to."

"Na, I get it. I'm envious to be honest. I can't relate since I can barely even remember where I'm from. Spending ten years in a different world can do that to a person."

"I see-wait, ten years?! Forgive my asking, but how old are you?" Mamoru had a moment of calm tranquility but he was scowling when he asked me that question.

"I'm sixteen." I say rather casually, though I see Mamoru scowl even stronger when I gave the answer, making me cringe a little which he apparently noticed.

"Sorry Miyo; I'm just a little irritated. Kids that young shouldn't be forced into stuff like this." Mamoru says with a solemn frown as he begins to walk further into the dungeon "C'mon, let's get this over with."

"Sure." I say with a degree of confusion over why Mamoru is acting like this. Sure I can get that he's protective, but why he appears fixated on helping me like that is what's confusing me. Sure, it was tough for me to get by the first couple of years, but I learned and adapted to survive in this world.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [19:30] September 1st 20XX

Location: [Rebeat Resort]

After an hour and a half passed, we've regrouped at the entrance to see how much we've managed of the materials we need to treat Karen, though it's not exactly good, since we barely were able to get anything.

"Hopefully Kazuto and Shino had better luck in Septent Resort. Let's meet up with them in-" Mamoru says with a mild groan before he gets interrupted by a raucous growl not too far away from us "What in the world was that?"

However, I recognize that growl since I've seen its owner more times than I'd like to admit "No...No. It can't be!" I tremble in fear as I try to see what direction it came from. When I look to the right, I see the same dragon with Magic's wings on a different platform "Oh goddess! Guys, we need to get out of here! Now!"

"What's wrong?" Katsuo worriedly asks me, as he keeps a hand on his sword

"Guys, that same dragon was what infected Karen! We need to get out of here!" I shout as I pull out one of my remaining Eject Buttons and throw it to the ground to get us all out of here.

When the light fades from the Eject button, we find ourselves outside the dungeon to my relief, but we're not too lucky since all four CFWs: Magic, Trick, Judge, and Brave are here as well.

"Ah crap!" Katsuo scowls as he rapidly draws his sword, with Mamoru and Yuuki following suite at the presence of the four CFWs. Izumi and I draw our weapons as well in case they're here to fight us.

"Calm yourself. We're not here to fight. This time atleast." Brave says with a very calm tone to apparently pacify Katsuo's anger at their presence.

"Then why are you here?" Mamoru solemnly inquires, though he's keeping his bow close at hand, and considering who we're talking with, I can hardly blame him for being cautious.

"Although the very idea sickens me to my core, we have come to ask for a temporary alliance." Magic says with the same kind of tone as Katsuo, and I can tell that she's truly disgusted coming to the CPU's agents for help.

"A certain Guardragon has been attacking our followers relentlessly and infecting them with a potent neurotoxin. We have discovered that it has attacked followers of the CPUs as well as civilians of both affiliations according to the neural map we made of it. A follower of the CPUs was infected in the Atari Marsh trying to gather materials. She apparently escaped the dungeon since she is currently in Lowee." After I hear this I inaudibly gasp as I am very certain that RED is that person "We've tried everything we had to cure the toxin, but we have recently concluded that the only way to cure it is to kill its originator. We fought the beast two years ago and suffered greatly trying. You remember that very creature right Hanari, Mizutani?" Brave says as he continues for Magic and looks toward me and Izumi, making us cringe as we recall the very monster that plagued us not once, not twice, but thrice.

"Yeah. That same monster was what infected Karen with the neurotoxin that apparently is plaguing your organization. It appears to be able to use the CPU's fast-travel network when it comes to dungeons." I say with a mild mumble, knowing that this monster has drastically evolved compared to the norm.

If it evolves too much, it'll be next to unstoppable, perhaps even to the CPUs. I know that there's no way that anyone could journey from dungeons so quickly unless they fast-travel, and that Guardragon was in Lowee's Global Expo no more than three hours ago. It couldn't have gotten here without using fast-travel. If that beast somehow gains the ability to spread that power to other monsters, we'll be done for. Especially if it evolves enough to bypass the Goddess' protective barriers. Any semblance of peace and serenity will be destroyed if that happens, and faith in their power will plummet in an instant. If what Brave said was true and this thing is attacking everyone indiscriminately, it truly is in everyone's best interest that we slay this abomination before people get wiped out and faith in both the CPUs and ASIC falls.

"But CFW Brave sir, Karen had powers beyond our own, and she was defeated in a single hit. We can't fight that monster as we are now."

"I'm aware Mizutani. But we have no choice in the matter. We must exterminate this monster before it infects more people and ultimately kills them. We need shares to revive our guardian deity and we can't get power if our followers are dead, same with your CPUs. It's in everyone's best interest that we do this quickly. If this monster gains the ability to transmit its power to other monsters, no one will be safe."

"As much as I hate to admit it, they're right. I can tell that even Karen would side with ASIC when there is a common enemy. Remember that we did side with Akihiko Kayaba when XANA appeared in Sword Art Online and threatened us all, even though he trapped all of us." Mamoru says with a mildly dejected tone as he puts his bow away.

"What's in it for us?" Katsuo interjects solemnly.

"What you _get_ is safety to retrieve your Mascot Characters and safety for all people in Gamindustri. No one wins with this monster killing with its neurotoxin and its extreme power. And if that isn't enough, it is very obvious that you will quickly confront us in the Gamindustri Graveyard no matter what happens. We ought to fortify our position as much as possible for the upcoming confrontation." Brave explains methodically before revealing what the CFWs will be doing during the upcoming conflict, and as if it wasn't clear enough, Izumi and I will have to fight our former bosses. While we were never close to most of them, Brave was always kind to us, especially since he warned Izumi and I of the termination of our affiliation with ASIC, which usually meant that said agents would be swiftly exterminated.

Katsuo simply huffs after Brave finished speaking of the terms of the alliance "Fine. But know that I'm doing this only because Karen's hurt and because I don't want this creature harming any more civilians. I am not doing this for any of you criminals."

"And we are not doing this for your CPUs. We do this for our own interests. Your beloved CPUs being involved in this is a mere technicality." Magic snarls as she makes her distaste for the CPUs known.

"Whatever the case, we'll need a plan to take that monster down." Mamoru interjects, voicing a legitimate point in mind when it comes to the Guardragon. We need a damn good plan if we're going to take this thing down.

"We are attempting to formulate a plan that will defeat the monster, but we need time. We will contact you once we have come to a decision."

"Understood Lord Brave. But please hurry." I say with a heavy heart, since this'll only get tougher the longer this goes on.

"Of course. Karen Koizumi owes me a battle and I want it to happen." Brave says with a very confident tone before vanishing, same with the other CFWs.

* * *

"So now we have to help ASIC. Wonderful." Katsuo groans as he sheathes his sword and shield before looking toward me and Izumi "You never told us you work for ASIC." Katsuo says as he glares in my direction.

"_Worked_." I say as I correct Katsuo on the current status of our relationship with ASIC "We weren't full members, we just did light work, and one case of wet work with a mole; nothing that you should be worried about. Besides, Brave told us that we would've been killed if we stayed with ASIC. Although we worked for them, we are not loyal to them, we were in it for the money. We needed to put food on the table."

"Cut em a bit of slack Katsuo. They're in the same boat as we are. They came from a different world like us. Honestly, if we hadn't met with the CPUs, they might've tried recruiting us when we entered this world."

"Oh, I see. Let's get back to Lastation and get some sleep. We should let Kazuto and Shino know about this, but we need to keep this from Nepgear, IF, and the others no matter what. They'll be pissed to know that we're helping ASIC like this."

We all nod in quiet acknowledgement as I see Mamoru activate his gauntlet and bring Kazuto and Shino into the fold about our plan. Shino wasn't exactly too amused but she said she'll stick with us for the long haul since she said she can't compare to the experiences the SAO players have been through and she'd trust their judgements and Kazuto simply reflected and said that it's little more than a rehash of Aincrad but with a new world, a new enemy, and new unexpected allies that were once your enemies. I then see Izumi and Katsuo use fast-travel to Lastation, though Mamoru and Yuuki stay for some reason when I was about to teleport myself.

"Wait Miyo, I want to ask you something." Yuuki quickly says to me before I had the chance to fast-travel.

"What would that be?" I inquire as I glance in her direction, wondering what Yuuki wants from me.

"Ever since I got to this world, I've been trying to find advanced medical treatment. I...Mamoru, Miyo, if I tell you this. I don't want you spreading it around." After Yuuki said this, we both nod rather solemnly "Okay...I was diagnosed with HIV when I was very young. It got really bad about a year ago since I became rather bedridden, and my eyesight was starting to die out. My doctor said that although my condition was improving since I was hanging out with you guys, he told me that I shouldn't get my hopes up. I want to beat this. But I need medical technology more advanced than what's on Earth. IF gave me clearance for Planeptune's best immunoboosters, but even she said that it's little more than a stalling measure."

"Wait, you have HIV Yuuki? That's new." Mamoru says in utter surprise, though I don't get the issue aside from the fact that it appears to be some sort of medical condition based on the fact that Yuuki said the term diagnosed "Yuuki, if this is the case, we need to get you back to Planeptune.

Yuuki shakes her head rather seriously "Trust me, I had myself checked out while Karen was comatose when they rescued Nepgear. They told me that they had never seen anything like it before and are thoroughly researching it when I gave them blood samples, they're giving me immunoboosters since it's the only thing available for this kind of condition." "So Miyo, Mamoru said you're from a different world. Does your world have access to really advanced medicine? Possibly ones that deal with genetic diseases?"

I scratch my head nervously since I barely know my own civilization; since I was just a little girl when I got here.

"Yuuki, you shouldn't get your hopes up. Miyo was taken from her world when she was six."

"Yeah, sorry to say, but I don't remember much about my home world; or rather my home station. I was just a little girl when I ended up here, cut me some slack." I say with a mild frown, with my mind flashing back to my early years here in Gamindustri.

* * *

I wouldn't have made it this far without my mentor helping me out in the art of battle. He was one of the rare males in this world, though he was hardly human like I was since he was giant and had a truly savage wolf like appearance. I think the guy was over eight feet tall, but I was still a kid when I met him so I can't find out for certain. I remember him reflecting on his history a few times, and he told me he came from a world they named Iuria and their species name apparently was Valkenia. He called himself Warlord Thraaklon and his white colored fur was stained a dark red color of blood and his face was full of scars which scared me a great deal when I met him. Even his choice of armor was horrifying as it was pure black with blood stained trims. He was ruthless in battle, though he was surprisingly polite and gentle when he talked and trained with me which caught me off-guard in the early days of our relationship.

What surprised me was that he was truly skilled in creating weapons and was the one who gave me my sword and rifle when he evaluated my combat skills with my cybernetics. However, once he deemed me worthy, he dropped to the floor and revealed he had been sick for the last month and was nearing the end of his life and told me on his deathbed he had been stuck in Gamindustri back before the Deity of Sin fought against the CPUs of old. He even said he was glad he was able to see how long a Valkenian could live since they are so savage that it's rare for individuals to live past a century since they were extremely war-like and vicious. I owe him so much and I was never able to tell him how grateful I was for his help since he died before I could. I had no real way to support myself at first but he taught me how to be a warrior and fight for survival. I find it a little funny that such a seasoned warlord would teach a young six year old girl how to fight and in ways that would keep her relatively innocent. He helped me distinguish the difference between intelligent life like the humans and what he called mindless beasts in the dungeons.

Without his help, I can only wonder how I would fare: a young six year old girl stranded in a mysterious world.

* * *

"Oh. I see. Sorry for asking such a question of you Miyo."

"It's alright Yuuki. I've had ten years to adjust to this. I'm not alone in this regard; I've encountered a fair number of people stranded from their dimension. Izumi obviously comes to mind, and my mentor wasn't native to this world."

"I see. But Miyo, I want to ask you. Can we trust ASIC on this?" Mamoru asks me rather seriously and that actually gives me a moment of pause.

"Ordinarily, I'd say no based on their history. But ASIC would never go this far if they weren't in danger. Besides, Karen and quite a few others are hurt. We need to stop this poison before it escalates out of control, before it is given a chance to evolve."

"I concur. Let's go meet up with the others. Miyo, I know you're hesitant letting people get near close to Karen since she's badly hurt and I would be doing the same thing in your shoes, but we're worried about our friend, can you let us see her?"

"Mamoru, I can't. Karen wanted to keep things quiet. For the sake of her goal."

"I have no intention of intruding. I know Karen well enough and she wouldn't do something this drastic without a damn good reason. She wouldn't put everything on the line to this degree unless she had a plan. Just let us see her alright?"

"I...Alright. But be aware that I'll be keeping this sword close." I say rather seriously as for one, I don't want Caelus' avatar to be killed, though I do think of Karen as a friend I don't want to lose. In this world, it's not easy finding people who you can relate with when you originate from other worlds, not with how, more often or not, you are forced to live their entire lives in this foreign world, away from their entire civilization. My mentor must have truly suffered living as long as he did.

"Wow, that's excessive." Yuuki is rather wided eyed at my fierce seriousness of keeping a weapon close at hand.

"Blame my mentor then. He trained me this way and more importantly, he was the one who taught me how to fight in this world. But I digress; let's meet up with the others and then go. I suppose I'll give authorization for you guys to meet with her." I say with a rather flippant tone, letting my past history flood my mind for a brief moment.

We then fast-travel to Lastation to meet up with Katsuo, Kazuto, Shino, and Izumi, give the others access to Lowee on the condition that they'll leave well enough alone afterward, which they agree to, albeit with hesitation since they were Karen's team and would sacrifice their own souls for her sake; atleast, that's what Katsuo says.


	11. Chapter 10: Unfolding of History

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [20:00] September 1st 20XX

Location: [Lowee Basilicom]

* * *

When we made it to the Basilicom, we find Karen passed out on the pew like when we left and RED on an adjacent pew, and because of how she's not stuck in armor like Karen, we can see that parts of her face has the same black reptilian scale, but not as severe. What concerned us more is that Rom, Ram, and Gust apparently pushed themselves too far with their healing magic and collapsed from exhaustion.

"Dear goddess. They've been pushing themselves far too much trying to help Karen and RED. Izumi, could you try bringing to some rooms? Goddess knows they need rest." I morosely say as I see the pained expressions on their faces, as if they were giving all they could to slow down the poison for us to arrive with the materials.

I then see Izumi, Shino, and Mamoru walking over to lift them and then carry the trio elsewhere. I walk over toward RED and crouch down to see how she's faring.

"Ehehe~. Sorry Wifey. I didn't mean to worry you. I guess my being hurt like this cost me like forty points. That freak dragon ambushed me. I'm lucky I got away safe." RED says with a forced laugh as she talks about what happened to her.

"RED, I'm just relieved you're safe. You may be a pain to deal with, but you're still a good person deep down."

"And I guess I'm crazy enough to take it as a full compliment. I'm sorry to say this, but I failed to get the needed materials."

"It's alright. We're going to get this dealt with. Just keep yourself strong and fight this thing as much as you can. You'll feel better before you know it."

"Sure thing." RED closes her eyes as I walk toward Karen, Katsuo, and Yuuki.

* * *

"Karen, you okay?" Katsuo worriedly asks as he crouches down to his knees.

Karen weakly turns her head toward us "Katsuo? Yuuki? What are you two doing here?" Karen asks, with her going into coughing fits as she tries to talk with us. I can't begin to imagine how much trouble she's going through just trying to talk as the neurotoxin is flowing through her veins, only being stopped by Caelus' power.

"We're worried about you Karen. That's why." Katsuo says as he grips Karen's hand rather strongly, though it's surprisingly gentle as well.

"Damn...I did an awful job. I was supposed to make you all despise me."

"Also, we know about the CPU that saved your life Karen. Caelus right?" Katsuo responds rather smugly.

"**Let me guess. Black Disc told you right?**"

"Yep. She told us about you and Caelus, let me be frank. I owe you for helping Karen. We wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if we made it back home with Karen dead."

"**It was mutual. I was close to death and same with Karen back in the Gamindustri Graveyard. I merged my life with hers to save both of us even though I knew it would mean that neither of us would never be the same as before the act was done. I deemed that as an acceptable sacrifice to bear considering the circumstances.**"

"Actually, Caelus, I was wondering if you'd be willing to answer something I just thought of a little while ago." I ask since I can recall my mentor saying he lived in this world prior to the Deity of Sin's sealing by the old CPUs, and history said that Caelus was one of those CPUs.

"**Speak your mind. Just know that I may not be able to answer the question depending on what it is you're asking.**"

"Do you happen to know my old mentor? He called himself Warlord Thraaklon."

"**T-Thraaklon?! Is that old bastard still alive?! Dammit, I don't have the strength to fight him.**" Caelus caught me off-guard with this exclamation. She was so calm just a moment ago but flew into a panic at the mention of my old mentor.

"You know him then Caelus?"

"**Knew him? He wiped out half my nation single handed! I had to get help from two of my sisters to stop him. And even then, it took half a year to pacify him. If he's alive...it'll be problematic since Karen barely has a hundredth of the strength I could use when I was a CPU, but I'll need to gather whatever resources I can and find a way to deal with him.**" Hearing this straight from Caelus surprised me, Yuuki, and Katsuo since we all gasped hearing how destructive Thraaklon was in his past before they look toward me and seemingly question the fact I was taught by such a destructive individual. I suspect they're beginning to have doubts about my loyalty.

"Er, Caelus. That won't be necessary. He died about ten years ago. He trained me as best he could before he dropped dead. He didn't tell me everything about his history since he lived a very long time, and while he never named names, he frequently praised a group of female warriors since they gave him the greatest battle a Valkenian could ever experience. I didn't know at the time, but I imagine he was speaking of you and your sisters Caelus. On his deathbed, he told me he was glad he got to see how long he could live. One of his regrets was that he couldn't help you fight against ASIC before, but even he admitted he was far too wild to handle back in his youth. When he heard you were killed, or rather...the rumor of your death I guess I should say, he took a full decade to reflect on his life and he swore he would do better. He was concerned that ASIC would one day re-emerge from the shadows and wreck havoc, so he wanted to establish an order of knights to deal with ASIC, but he said that some stray followers collapsed the base and killed everyone he had assembled, so he realized that building an order was not feasible considering how easily his first attempt fell through, so he decided to train people on an individual level and hoped that his influence would spread discreetly. He knew mass training was risky but prayed his individual training would pass from person to person enough to prepare for ASIC's eventual return." I say rapidly at first to try calming down Caelus before explaining Thraaklon's side of the story, said by him. I had to take breaks here and there since I was voicing a mouthful.

"**I see. I guess I should apologize about my losing my cool there. I want to say that Thraaklon was a worthy adversary though we have too much bad blood between us for me to truly say it. While I am relieved that Thraaklon is dead, I am not heartless and I imagine that you must have been hurt by his death, right?**"

"I suppose so. I was a little girl when he began teaching me. He had been focusing all of his training sessions with people not native to this world. His exact words were 'The best way to defeat an enemy is to use a strategy that is so drastically unorthodox that it confuses even the wisest scholar.' I am drawn to believe he was trying to say that the tactics used by people native to Gamindustri are insufficient. He wanted to train people from other worlds and develop battle strategies that combines the fundamental rules and laws of this world with the unique individuality of each species."

"**That's...very crafty. I never expected that Thraaklon would be so committed to the cause. This actually makes me wish I could find some way to talk with him. Perhaps it's true that a part of that change came out of respect. When we kept him in prison, he would say that he valued strength; individual and strength of the pack. I more or less treated him like refuse out of anger, but I did take notice of his words regardless. He once said: Not everyone can be a strong warrior, but you can find strength in your pack. He both ridiculed and praised my decision to call my sisters for help. In fact-Gah...I'm losing strength, I need to sleep.**" Caelus was rather calm and collected but she was grunting in pain at the end.

"Does that happen often Karen?"

"Not really Yuuki. Caelus' condition mirrors my own based on what I know." Karen mutters before a violent coughing spasm briefly stops her "I've been trying to boost my own condition over the last few weeks as an indirect response to this. But when I'm weak, so is she. And this virus is killing us both right now."

"Is there anything we can do Karen?"

"If you want to help Katsuo, find some way to stop this toxin. I'm fighting a losing battle here." Karen says before being interrupted by another wave of violent coughs "While Caelus is doing her best to keep this thing from killing me, this poison is still spreading through my veins and it's getting tougher and tougher to breathe."

"We're doing everything we can in this regard Karen. ASIC told us that the only way to stop this virus and cure everyone that is sick with it is to destroy the source: That Guardragon."

"Katsuo-" She tries to say before coughing once again "There's no way that you all can handle it. I had been training every day for weeks; that monster sent me flying like a rag doll with a single slash of its claws."

"I know that Karen. I'm doing what I can to think of my own plan to try dealing with that monster. Though it's not exactly easy trying to find a way to wipe out such a strong monster. I don't think even Thraaklon could take on such a beast and survive to tell anyone about."

"Hold on. What happened to your gauntlet Karen?" Katsuo inquires as he looks at the gauntlet I improved.

"That's my doing. I upgraded her gauntlet to the best of my ability." I smile rather proudly since I rarely get to flex my technological side.

"Ya know, I did wonder why I couldn't locate Karen's gauntlet via our scanners. I'm guessing that was your work."

"Yep, I disconnected her gauntlet from the old network it was connected to. I created a very tiny network for it to interface, but I want to build upon it."

"Don't tell our enemies anything Miyo. We still work with ASIC after all."

"Oh yeah, good point." I say as she indirectly reminded me about the plan.

"What? You lied to us! You said you don't work for them."

"Technically we don't Katsuo, but we're part of Karen's team and her contract allows her to recruit who she likes, within reason. Izumi and I may not be official members of the organization, but we work for her." I say rather nonchalantly to the pair and while I do have that tiny bit of unease lying in general; I only knew these guys a few hours, so I got no problem doing so.

"Very well then; I'll consider you as nothing less than an enemy. If I encounter you afterward, I won't hesitate to kill you. But since we're allies for the time being, here." Katsuo says rather fiercely as he pulls a spare sword out of his inventory and passes it to me.

* * *

I inspect the rapier and notice that the entire sword appears to be made of reinforced oriachalcum. The sword itself is incredibly exotic as it has draconian attributes, particularly among the blade and hilt.

"May I ask why you want to help your enemy?" I ask as I take the new sword, put it on my belt and give Celeste back to Karen.

"I don't know the whole story, but I know that's Karen's sword. Unless you piss me off, I believe in equal footing. Besides, I hate rapiers, but it was a gift so I couldn't refuse it."

"Very well then." I want to test this new weapon and see how well I can fight with it, but at the same time; I don't exactly trust them so close. While I can sympathize considering we're all trapped in this world, there is a difference between general sympathy and personal sympathy. Thankfully, I do have luck on my side when Izumi, Shino, and Mamoru return "Izumi, can you keep an eye on these four? I want to practice with this new sword."

I see Izumi nod in acknowledgement as I walk to one of Blanc's training rooms to practice this new weapon. When I get there, I pull the sword out of its sheathe and try to remember how this kind of weapon is used. I've used large slashing swords and a rifle, but a rapier...what kind of weapon does it belong to? I run the question through my head a few times as I inspect the blade. "_Wait, I think I remember Lady Noire using a rapier before. What form did she use?_" I begin to ponder as I recall the stance and begin training as best I can. While I make each thrust of the blade, I notice trace amounts of magic pour out "_Woah, this sword is enchanted? I wonder if...No, he couldn't have known. I had to learn that skill from Izumi and it still took me three years to figure out._"

I then begin training with the blade as my mind begins flashing back to the old days when I arrived in this world. Saying that a lot happened back then is a monumental understatement, especially since I've become far more independent and a drifter even though I want to resume working with the CPUs.

* * *

(Flashback)

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [17:00] September 1st 10XX

Location: [Atari Marsh]

I was just a little girl at the age of six when I noticed an unusual portal or something open in the play lab my parents had recently built for me, as it's a custom for my people to practice our scientific skill with materials that couldn't harm us. When I went to investigate, it drew me in like a vortex which knocked me unconscious. When I came to, I found myself on a series of floating platforms with nature all around it.

"Huh…? Where am I?" I curiously asked out loud as I try to adjust to the new surroundings from the previously sterile white play lab where I was mere moments ago.

I ventured around a short time and find a number of multi-colored spiders slowly approaching me with the desire to kill me which I noticed from the angry sounds they're making as they surround me

"S-Someone help!" I yelped as I do my best to run away though I wasn't too fast since I was just a little kid back then.

I unfortunately was quickly forced into a corner and the monsters were about to kill me, me shutting my eyes in utter fear as I was scared out of my wits. As a result, I never saw what happened precisely. I quickly heard them explode, for lack of a better term since I could never describe sounds well, and when I opened my eyes, I saw a giant wolf-man with snow white fur with significant patches of a dark red color, though I never knew what the red was until much later, wielding mechanical claws over his hands which he quickly sheathed and walked over to me

"Are you okay young one? You shouldn't have come out here, it's too dangerous."

I know I was shivering an increasingly amount when he kept getting closer as I was outright terrified of both the monsters and of him at the same time "S-Stay back! I-I don't taste good!"

"I won't hurt you young one. I merely wish to help you out of here and get somewhere safe. You're free to leave if you wish to afterward."

"You don't want to hurt me?"

"Of course not. I only fight monsters like the ones trying to fight you. I wouldn't harm a single hair on your head, I'm not that kind of person, not anymore."

He immediately pulled a small rectangular box and threw it to the ground, with some sort of circle appearing from underneath us and we're quickly brought to his house, which I later learned was on the outskirts of Planeptune City. His house had very little furniture and its general look is that while he kept it clean to an extent, he apparently had not been at the property for a very long time as I saw the hints of the lack of tending of the property. While Thraaklon stayed put at the only entrance, he gave me free rein to explore the place since I had a lot more curiosity than I should have had. It was only when I walked back to him at the entrance did he resume talking with me

* * *

"Okay, I kept my promise. You're safe. Do you wish to leave?"

"Why did you save me Mister?" I asked rather innocently, since I hardly knew what was going on and I needed some sort of answer.

"Hmm, based on the technology you're wearing, that advanced cybernetic suit is far too advanced, even by Lastation or Planeptune standards. You must be from a different dimension like myself. Youngling, you are in a different world. This place is called Gamindustri."

"Another world? That can't be true."

"I wish I could reassure you otherwise, but I don't give empty promises. May I inquire your name?"

"I'm...Miyo."

"Well Miyo. You can call me Thraaklon, though my full title is Warlord Thraaklon but I digress. Now look. This world has many wonders, but it is dangerous if you are not careful. You could have lost your life back there if I wasn't there. If you wish, I can teach you what you need to survive in this world."

"But...I don't want to. I want to go back home."

Thraaklon sighed and put his right hand on his temple and shaked his head rather sadly before crouching down to my height "I'm sorry to say this, but...that's just not possible. Trust me, I have spent centuries if not millennia living in this world and I've never been able to find a way to return to my own world. It's not possible for those of us stranded here to return home."

When I look back on that time now, I am utterly ashamed of myself, but I began bawling like mad at the revelation that I was trapped in a world I knew nothing about. Of course, I was just a little kid at the time.

"Ah goddess damn me. Vakarian, get in here, I can't handle the crying ones."

Since I was still bawling, I never really saw where he came in from, but I did hear what they said before he came to talk to me.

"You disappoint me Thraaklon. You were able to tame Wrex yet you can't deal with a little girl crying?" The person said with a degree of snark in his voice.

"He's not a cryer. I kicked him to the curb repeatedly to get him to obey my requests. Brute strength? I can handle that. But look, I can handle kids, but not when they cry; it's irritating."

* * *

After that speech ended, I saw a figure with silver armor with blue trims all over his body walk next to me. He only had three fingers on both hands and I noticed a holographic visor over his left eye; his general appearance looked similar to a humanoid avian and the right side of his face looked rather red and fleshy compared to the grayish, with blue markings, skin pigments on the other parts of his face. When Thraaklon walked away, this new person crouched down to me and gently stroked my head with his three fingers

"You okay kid?"

"I-I'm okay." I lie as I was still wiping my eyes to hide my tears.

"You're not doing a good job of lying here. Not with your crying." He then strokes my face and wipes away my tears "Thraaklon, is there any food left in this place? Preferably food that won't put me in the hospital?"

"No and no. There isn't a single recipe in this world that is compatible with turian biology. Be glad that I asked Histoire to send you frequent medical packages to deal with it. Regardless, I don't have any spare credits. Let's just visit the Basilicom, I am one of their field agents after all. Urdnot, get out here."

After Thraaklon called for this Urdnot, I saw a large reptilian humanoid with dark red armor walk toward us with a confident aura "We getting some grub? I've been busting my quad fighting over the last couple of days, even though they're pitiful compared to the prey on Tuchanka. They are as weak as Klixen or worse: Varren. It wounds my pride fighting such creatures."

"Wrex, remember we're not with Shepard anymore, so you can't expect every opponent is worthy by Krogan standards. But let's put that aside, I'm starving and I could use a good meal right now. Are you hungry…?"

"Miyo...I'm Miyo. Who are you?"

"I'm Garrus Vakarian. My hostile friend here is called Urdnot Wrex. You know Thraaklon already. Let's get moving. Miyo, you may want to hold on tight to me, okay?" Garrus says as he extends his hand in my direction.

While I would've had my fair share of hesitation if I had entered this world when I was this age, I was still very young and the undeniable fact was that I was trapped in a foreign world utterly unlike my own. I didn't know anyone and Thraaklon offered to help me, so I needed to take that risk and pray that things worked out. Thankfully, everything worked out in the end.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [18:00] September 1st 10XX

Location: [Planeptune Basilicom]

Thraaklon, Wrex, and Garrus brought me to the Planeptune Basilicom and I was utterly in awe at the extravagant beauty of the building before Garrus gently beckoned me to follow him inside with the others. When I walked in, I noticed Histoire trying to pursue Neptune but she gave her the slip, making the former groan very irritably.

"We are not finished here Neptune! We will continue this discussion the next time I find you!" Histoire snarls out of irritation before looking toward us "Oh! I apologize Thraaklon. I was not aware that you were here. May I ask what brings you here?"

"We were hoping we could bother you for a meal. The three of us have been through a lot of battle lately and we have a new arrival." Thraaklon says as he looks toward Garrus, who slightly pushes me toward Histoire.

She floats over toward me, looks me over, and quickly looks to Thraaklon

"Oh goddess. Is she not from this world?"

"I'm afraid so. I just found her today in Atari Marsh. If I was any slower…"

"Thraaklon, that's enough. Let's not scare the poor girl any further." Even though Garrus was trying to help me, he wasn't exactly efficient since I heard everything that they had said about my situation, but I apparently pretended that I hadn't heard them.

"Of course. Very well, if you need a place to sleep and eat, I'll fulfill that need as best I can. I'll have Nepgear prepare a meal at the usual meeting ground. Thraaklon, you know where that is right?" Thraaklon simply nods and afterward, Histoire then rushed off leaving the four of us alone in this main chamber.

"Okay, come with us Miyo." Garrus takes me by hand and we follow Thraaklon, with the destination being an indoor garden far within the Basilicom.

When I get there, I noticed a girl with long lilac hair wearing a white sailor uniform with purple trims preparing our meal.

"Ah good to see you Nepgear. How long has it been since we've last seen each other? Six years?"

The girl turns around and has a rather noticeable smile on her face "Thraaklon! It's so good to see you!" She then looks toward me, Wrex, and Garrus "Who are these two? And more importantly: Who's this young lady?" Nepgear casually looks toward the former two though took a particularly concerned stance when it came to me.

"These two are apprentices of mine: Urdnot Wrex and Garrus Vakarian. I recruited them two years ago, and I found this young girl in Atari Marsh about to be attacked. I saved her and I quickly realized that considering her advanced technology, there's no way she could be from this world. She's just like me, Wrex, Garrus, and everyone else like us. Stranded and alone from all their people."

"How awful...what's your name?" Nepgear was horrified at the mention of my being from a different world.

"Miyo. Miyo Hanari."

"It's an extreme honor to meet you Miyo Hanari." Nepgear says with a big reassuring smile before she quickly turns to Thraaklon "Thraaklon, I know you're wholly committed to teaching people new to this world the fundamental laws and all, but...could you please wait a week or so this time? You can easily tell Miyo here is very young and confused about all this. She needs time to build a rapport here."

"She has a point, Thraaklon. We ought to wait on this one. If you try to train her when she's this new, it'll be a major problem down the road. She's not like me or Wrex. We've spent the last ten years of our lives accustomed to war and conflict. And considering what we lived with back in our world: Geth, Reapers, rebuilding civilization; this world is like a stroll in the park." Garrus says rather logically to Thraaklon as he goes to help Nepgear set up the meal.

"Good enough point."

* * *

After about ten minutes passed, the five of us began eating; though Wrex and Thraaklon went to the far corners to eat, leaving me, Garrus, and Nepgear in the center of the garden. I saw Garrus visibly grimace when he inspected the food and he seemed very hesitant to eat it.

"Do you not like this food? I can make something else if you want."

"That's not it. It's just that human food doesn't agree with me. At best, I don't get any nutritional benefit from what I eat. The worst case scenario is a lethal allergic reaction." Garrus says as he pulls a syringe out of seemingly nowhere and puts it on the table "Nepgear, if this food causes an allergic reaction, I need you to inject me with this medicine, it has to be the nape specifically. It'll treat the allergy, but I'll be in an inert state for about an hour. Better than dying, but still unpleasant." Garrus says with a rather matter of fact tone as he takes a single slurp of what appeared to be pasta.

Nepgear nervously waited for Garrus' reaction on the food and what we all heard was a sigh of relief

"Thank goodness. I always get nervous when I eat food here in this world. And it certainly doesn't help much that I try to eat three square meals a day as much as I can. Since I'm pretty far away from the rest of my species, I'm going out of my way to record all of the food that have no nutritional value to me since I'd rather make that sacrifice than the alternative." Garrus says as he pulls a notepad, again out of nowhere "Could you give me the recipe if it's not a secret? I'm trying to compile a list of food I could actually eat and not get sick over."

"Sure." Nepgear says as she writes the recipe down on a piece of paper and passes it to Garrus, who quickly writes it down and passes it back to her "But how exactly do you get nutrients if our food can't do so?"

"I guess you can thank Thraaklon for that. He insisted that I give a blood sample to Planeptune's best hospital when he 'convinced' me and Wrex to travel with him and they used the scan of my DNA to model a type of paste that gives me what I need. However, the taste is disgusting. But I just need to remind myself I fought alongside a person who could be the galaxy's strongest soldier for three years and that quells any desire for complaining."

"Would you mind if I ask you about your world? I've never really got the chance to with anyone else. No one I know from other worlds like to talk about the subject."

"I suppose I could say, but I know why many would be hesitant to talk about this subject: These poor souls have been abducted from their own dimension and they don't want to be reminded of it."

"I guess I can understand that. They don't want to be reminded of how they're stranded from their friends and family. Garrus, do you have any family back home?"

"I have a father and sister. If you count the time I've been here; I haven't spoken to either of them in six years." Garrus explains rather earnestly before looking toward me "Sorry if you're feeling left out Miyo."

"Ehehe...I wasn't paying too much attention." I slightly giggle as I was more focused on eating the food in front of me since I was rather hungry; though I was able to hear their conversations.

Garrus laughed a little when he heard me say that "Ahaha. Well, good to hear. While I'm not sure if it applies to everyone, but entering this world really messes with your stomach. I was dead starving when I got here and I ended up in the hospital since I took a bad risk."

"Anyway, Miyo, would you want to live here in the Basilicom for a while?"

"Eh? Are you sure?"

"You should take her up on the offer Miyo. You're not an adult like me or Wrex or Thraaklon, so to speak. You need time to adjust."

"But is it okay? From what I gathered from people in the hallways, this is a government building. Can I really live here?"

"I just need to talk with Histoire. I'm sure she'd let you stay here, especially with your situation. What about you Garrus? Would you want to stay here?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. While I trust him, I don't want to leave Wrex unattended. His people are naturally aggressive and I want to keep the number of incidents to a minimal. Your people will thank me for it in the long haul." Garrus says before he looks past us, with the mandibles around his mouth showing a degree of surprise (although I hardly knew that at the time) "Nepgear, there's a girl out there. She looks like you but with shorter hair. It looks like she's hiding from someone or something."

"That's my older sister: Neptune. I imagine she's trying to hide from Histoire."

"Oh, this is not going to end well." Garrus mutters as he sees Wrex approach the girl from behind and lifts her in the air through a firm grip on her head.

"Woah! Hey buster, you had better let me go before I turn you into minced meat!" Neptune exclaims as she rapidly tries to resist and free herself from Wrex's grip.

"Big talk from such a tiny creature."

"Okay, that is it. No one calls me tiny and gets away with it!" Neptune snarls as she kicks Wrex in the stomach, which makes him let go of her a tiny bit out of surprise.

* * *

She was quickly enveloped with a beam of light and the young looking girl was replaced with a woman with bright blue eyes and long purple hair set in twin tails which nearly reached the ground she stood on. She wore a black colored body suit though her chest was exposed to some degree which I thankfully was oblivious about as it would've embarrassed me so much more if I was older; though I had the unlucky fortune to encounter Lady Green Heart at a much later time, when I was much more well-rounded in terms of mental sanity, but at the same time, I was more aware of my morals; so that was a bit of a hit for me. When she transformed, she quickly pulled out a huge katana and pointed it toward Wrex

"You will pay for angering me. Furthermore, you will also pay for sneaking into this holy Basilicom."

Wrex quickly retaliated by pulling out some sort of shotgun (Which Garrus later told me was called a M-11 Wraith, to my mild shock because of how deadly the weapon was back in their world) and I see the smallest of smirks on his face. Garrus quickly vaulted from where he was with an obvious expression of distress. We had quickly gathered close out of surprise, though Thraaklon was keeping me a fair distance away from any potential hostilities

"Woah woah woah. Stop Wrex, let's not piss off this country's leader. I like having my head on my neck and I don't want either her or Thraaklon to serve it on a stick." Garrus says as he forcibly pushes the weapon down before looking toward the woman in black "I apologize for my friend here. He is a quick to engage in a fight."

"You look familiar to me. Have we met before?"

"We have Purple Heart. One year ago. I was in Lastation since I wanted to know if they could craft thermal clips for me. They didn't exactly promise me anything, but they asked for some of mine as a template. We had met after I placed that order. I never knew you were this country's ruler though."

"Ah, so you were meeting with the technicians that day. Listen, I would tell your friend there to put his weapon away. I will kill him if I have to."

"Yes, of course. Wrex, put the goddamn gun away. I like living."

Wrex thankfully put away his shotgun and walked off with a minor snarl, though he was quickly followed by Thraaklon to ensure that nothing happened since it looked like Wrex was plenty mad at the time.

* * *

Afterwards, events had quickly transpired to where I had been living with the CPUs in the Basilicom and training with Thraaklon, Wrex, and Garrus in the various dungeons as I noticed myself growing in strength after each exercise. And after six months passed, Thraaklon called for me to meet him and the others at his house. When I got there, he passed me a very elegant flamberge sword with a black colored blade and silver grip and to my surprise: a finely crafted assault rifle

"Miyo Hanari. You have now graduated my training sessions. You are rather quick on the uptake. Congru-" Thraaklon tried to say before being interrupted by a heavy coughing fit as he falls to his knees, and I noticed, to my horror, that he was coughing up blood.

"Thraaklon!" Garrus exclaimed in shock as he tried his best to support Thraaklon.

"I am sorry. I prayed you three wouldn't have to see this."

"What's going on?" I inquire as I try to help Garrus pull Thraaklon up with help from my cybernetics.

"I'm...I've been dying all month. My doctors said I contracted a special incurable disease. I was going to die no matter what, so I hastened your graduation ceremony so you would have my blessing and all that. All of you; I have been trapped in this world for centuries if not millennia. I am proud to know how long a Valkenian can live because of our savage society and to prove my point: I was around since before the ancient CPUs fought the Deity of Sin, which was an extremely long time ago. I hate that I'm leaving this world in this manner, but I am content. I have lived an extremely long life and have done many...many things. Goodbye Urdnot Wrex; Garrus Vakarian; Miyo...Han..." Thraaklon was using all his strength to keep himself up and talk to us before dropping to the ground again, with us quickly noticing that his pulse has stopped entirely.

* * *

After this, we quickly brought Thraaklon to the Basilicom and Histoire arranged for a fancy funeral for him and stored him in a special indoor cemetery reserved for people who were on extremely good terms with the CPUs. After we saw Thraaklon off, Garrus and Wrex told me they would be leaving the continent to travel since they wanted to see if there were other lands other than this one and wished me the best of luck in my endeavors. As for me, I actually began going out of my way to avoid staying long amounts of time in this Basilicom because of the memory of Thraaklon though I was able to suppress that feeling for roughly a year before it became outright unbearable so I left, although I let Histoire, Nepgear, and Neptune know beforehand and they gave me a month's worth of food and some armor; and they all wished me the best of luck. While a part of me left out of the unbearable emotions over Thraaklon's death, a bigger part of me wanted to fill in his shoes as best I could: He has spent a great number of years wandering through the continent keeping eyes open for people like me: People unexpectedly forced out of their world and brought here and have no idea what to do. I was not as old as Thraaklon and while I didn't have as much experience as him, I swore I would honor his legacy by doing what he has done for so long. Doing this kind of thing required a special touch that only people like me had since it's easy to claim you can relate to people, but with this subject, it doesn't work unless you are not native to Gamindustri. Nine times out of ten, the only way to relate with this is if you have lived with what they are experiencing. No one was more experienced than Thraaklon, but he taught me how to survive and I'm not letting the gift go to waste.

* * *

(End Flashback)

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [21:00] September 1st 20XX

Location: [Lowee Basilicom - Training Room]

After remembering these old events, I lower my sword with me feeling tears roll down my face after I finished this recollection of memories.

"_Thraaklon…_" I mumble inaudibly and even though he was intimidating when it came to appearances, he saved my life and I owe him for that. Those tarantulas would've killed me had he not come at the opportune moment. I then wipe my eyes to get rid of the tears "_Huh. It's been ten years since I have seen Garrus and Wrex. I wonder how those two are doing_."

When I turn around, I see Katsuo walk into the room with a mild scowl

"Let me be frank with you Miyo. I have no idea what the hell you and Izumi are planning, but know that we'll be returning to Lastation. We don't plan on helping you any further. We're returning to Nepgear and fighting for the CPUs. The next time we see each other; I will not hesitate to gun you down like the criminal you are."

"Very well." I chuckle amusedly as I make a few poses with my rapier and then store it within my sheathe "Why are you here?"

"We carried Karen and RED to some bedrooms per order of the Oracle. Kazuto, Shino, and Yuuki have left already to rejoin Nepgear and the others. Mamoru said he'd keep an eye on Karen until you show up. So hurry up and relieve him of duty so we can get our archer back." Katsuo says as he uses the fast-travel network to leave the area, with me obviously knowing he's returning to Lastation.

I simply sigh in face of his attempt to being threatening to me and walk around and notice Mamoru outside one of the rooms

"I presume Katsuo has talked with you?"

"Yeah, he said he won't hold back when we meet next."

"I hope you know that we had come to that decision mutually. I don't like it, but the fact is: We need to return home and Histoire promised that. We had to question which was more important in the long haul: Our personal feelings or performing our duty and ensuring a way home. Hopefully Karen will understand that. I pray we can keep this business as just that."

"_Oh, how painfully naive. I can't help but pity them for believing this._" I mutter in my mind at the talk of them being able to return to their home world since I've been here ten years and my mentor having been here centuries if not millennia "Of course. I am capable of maintaining a mutual disdain. You all are obviously good people and I hate the idea of fighting you, but Izumi and I work for Karen and Karen works for ASIC. That makes us enemies."

Mamoru simply nods in acknowledgement before departing, leaving me outside Karen's room. I go in to keep an eye on her, but the sight of a comfortable bed makes all of my built-up adrenaline I've been using to handle all of the events today and it takes all my strength for me to simply reach a chair near Karen's bed "_Geez...I never thought it'd be so tiring doing this stuff without my cybernetics._" I do my best not to fall asleep outright since I want to keep an eye on her as long as possible, though that doesn't last long as I fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [2:00] September 1st 20XX

Location: [Lowee Basilicom - Karen's Room]

While I was doing the best I could to keep my senses alert, sleep has been dulling it a bit. However, I hear the door to the room open and since I had closed it before I began succumbing to sleep, I know someone is trying to get in

"W-Who's there…? Izumi?" I weakly mumble as I notice the outlines of wings on the back of the person coming into the room.

"Hell no. I have no idea who this Izumi is, but I'm not her."

As my eyes begin adjusting more to the pitch darkness I see that the person looks like Histoire, but the blonde hair is far less orderly, the outfit is a lot more 'evil' than Histoire's purple and white colorset "_Huh? This person looks like Histoire. But I've never seen another being like her before._" I lightly rub my eyes as I try to get a more accurate look at this person "Then who are you?"

"Normally I'd tell you to mind your own damn business bitch; but I'm in a good mood today. You can call me Croire. It's not every day I find a human merged with a CPU. Crap like this is what makes my job fun." Croire sneers as she pulls out some sort of purple crystal.

"Woah! What in the world are you doing?!"

"I'm making everyone's job easier so stay out of it!" Croire shouts angrily, with her then pressing the crystal against the breastplate of Karen's armor, with a small compartment opening as it seemingly accepts the crystal and seals itself when the crystal descended a short distance "Alright CPU. Activate the CPU Memory I have acquired for you and reawaken!"

I see Karen enveloped in a bright light and in lieu of the armored individual laying on the reinforced bed frame, I see an adult woman wearing a hakama with a white colored shirt and the lower robe is colored gold. She appears to have a purplish white hagoromo around her neck stretching all the way to her legs and robotic angel wings on her back, similar to the ones I've seen from Neptune and Nepgear in their HDD forms. Her hair has lengthened rather significantly and has been colored aqua though I can't tell what her eye color is since they're still closed.

"Woah...Karen…?" I mutter in surprise as I glance over this transformed state.

"My work here is done. I'm going have a ton of fun watching this revived CPU work her magic in this world. Now listen, I have high hopes here, so you had better give her your undivided loyalty. I don't want her losing this gift so quickly." Croire remarks with a big grin as she vanishes.

"_Undivided loyalty…?_" I mutter in confusion as I see Karen's eyelashes begin to flutter awake, revealing her viridian eye color in CPU form.

"**Urk...I feel strange.**" Karen, or Caelus, mumbles as she looks in my glance; her voice being far more elegant in a manner of speaking, though it sounds like a combination of both hers and Caelus' "**Miyo? What happened to me? I feel a little strange.**"

"Um...Karen; your CPU form has been awakened."

"**CPU form? My power has returned? I never expected it to happen so quickly. Ugh, I clearly must have reincarnation sickness, it's the only way it'd cause this type of echo.**"

"Reincarnation sickness? What do you mean Karen? Or are you Caelus?" I inquire, wondering who I'm talking with right now because of the blending of voices making it tough to distinguish.

"**It's Caelus, Miyo. Karen has just fallen comatose somewhat. Her soul is trying to adapt to Hard Drive Divinity. I thankfully was able to secure a place in it before now so I don't need to fear any kind of rewrite. I can co-exist as a spectator and live even though I can't directly use any of the powers as a Goddess. However, at times, I can exert physical control over this body, but Karen earned the right to be the primary host, so I decided to abdicate control unless she asks for it or if the need grew grave enough. Or...if I have the desire to, but I need to restrain on that one...hehe? Anyway, whoever that was, she gave me a brand new CPU Memory. Typically, it can be used, in the hands of an existing CPU, to create a new CPU, but if the information is correct: When a CPU Memory is used on a human with a CPU inside them, it performs a ritual similar to reincarnation and it is **_**not**_ **a pleasant experience for the human. Then again, I actually don't know that much about the subject; it's only happened one other time.**"

"Actually, the person who did this said I had to give Karen my undivided loyalty. What exactly did that mean Caelus?"

"**What?! How is it that you have spent time with the CPUs and not know what I'm talking about?! I'm talking about shares! CPUs need them to maintain their powers.**"

I nervously chuckle in response, since I had never known about the Share matter much. Sure, I did know about quests helping, but Histoire had Nepgear and Neptune keep the specifics from me. I never really knew why "Regardless of the fact. I know my duty: ASIC needs to be defeated. I may not be making the best case of myself since I worked for them for credits, but I have returned to the CPUs." I say as I drop to one knee and cover that knee with my left arm as I bow "I swear with my life that you will have my faith and my vow of assistance to fight against ASIC."

"**I accept that vow Miyo Hanari. I will need all of the help I can get to defeat ASIC. I fought them in ages past but failed. I will not make the mistake of fighting this enemy alone again.**" Caelus says to me as she pulls out Celeste's sheathe and gently taps the sheathe on both my shoulders "**While the normal tradition involves tapping the individual with the sword itself, Celeste was not made for such gentle acts.**" Caelus continues as she begins to sway and would've fell down to the ground had I not caught her "**Woah...a part of me forgot that Karen's body is still too weak and that's not counting the neurotoxin flowing through her veins. But on the plus side, I should be able to better resist it now that Karen has become a CPU in its entirety.**" Caelus explains as I help her back into the bed and glances in my direction "**Thank you. I need time to rest. You should be getting some as well.**"

"I probably should. Good night Caelus." I mumble as I exit the room and try to make my way to my room.

* * *

Author's Notes: I want to thank RantoJax for beta reading the parts involving Garrus Vakarian and Urdnot Wrex.

Okay...let me be blunt: I am not good at writing Neptune's dialogue, but if you think I did well enough or not, let me know in the reviews. Also, to make one thing clear, in the flashback, while I made the direct dialogue in present sense; considering that this event happened ten years prior, I made the non-dialogue parts into past sense to add a bit of realism compared to the old ones I made in Aincrad.


	12. Chapter 11: Correction of Purpose

Author's Notes: Okay, regarding what I said about the change in viewpoint; I'm practically scrapping that; it's not feasible with the future layouts of the story. I'll make it this: I won't do it if the option exists.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:00] September 10th 20XX

Location: [Lowee Basilicom]

It's been over a week since we made our alliance with ASIC, though we haven't heard anything from them which worries me as the number of people getting sick with this neurotoxin is growing by the day. Thankfully, the Oracles gathered together and mutually decided to restrict the fast-travel network's connection with the cities to avoid the worst case scenario and had members of the Basilicoms act as town criers informing the public to avoid venturing to dungeons at all costs. The only ones legally allowed to enter dungeons at this time are Guild Enforcers or individuals granted top level clearance by the Oracles, like myself since I'm doing my best to complete quests to build Lowee's shares while avoiding the Guardragon, but people still venture out regardless since the dungeons has materials people need in their daily lives and ignore the warnings. I try to help the stragglers if I notice them but it's a challenge doing that and handling quests and the enforcers have been doing the same.

I constantly worry for the well-being of Rom, Ram, Gust, and Izumi as they've gone to extreme lengths to slow down the neurotoxin that is plaguing RED and Karen: Whenever I see them, I see them using all of the magic they can gather to slow down the infection speed and exhausting them so severely in the process. While I admire that Rom and Ram are trying to help this much, I have not seen them play a game once since I've gotten here. While it appears that they're growing up, they are missing a lot of spirit since all they're doing lately is either sleep or using as much healing magic as they can. Unfortunately, it seems to be in vain since RED has been getting paler by the day and it's been increasingly tough for her to breath and Karen's suffering the same way, albeit much slower because of Caelus' help. This abomination _needs to die_ and soon or it may be too late.

Mina constantly keeps an eye on those four so they don't end up getting sick or hurt trying to help them, which left me alone to gather intelligence and building shares in this group. This is the first time in six years that I've been doing things alone and it's actually really difficult for me to fight on my own, since I've been dependent on Izumi's healing magic in dungeons.

Lately, I've been seriously pursuing the concept of improving the Eject Button technology since I never really liked how those things work, and even though I thought up the concept years ago, I never had the time to put it into application until I began working with Gust when she's not slaving herself over helping RED and Karen, and we've already got basic concepts for the Escape Button Mark 2. We speculated that if we took the magic circle of the original design and put it into an apparatus that didn't require self-detonation to activate, it could greatly increase effectiveness if we had to flee dungeons in a hurry and not to mention it'd be far more efficient if we didn't have to replace the Eject Buttons, though we haven't run field tests yet so we don't know if it even works. I'm actually wearing one of the three prototypes around my lower stomach as we decided to try a belt frame to house the Eject Button Mark 2.

One of the only bit of good news is that I know that the Mascot Character is in the World Maze dungeon since I scoured Lowee Global Expo and got nothing. I would've gone to find it by now, but with the Guardragon still on the loose, I have no desire to risk my life right now, not with so much on the line. I was about to go check up on Rom and Ram when Mina walked toward me with a letter in her hand

"Miyo, someone sent this letter to you, but the sender is anonymous so I don't know who it came from." Mina explains as she gives me the letter which I open and read

"_Miyo Hanari, we have formulated a plan of action. Come meet me in the forest outside Randome City as soon as possible. We must strike while the iron is hot._"

After reading the letter, I begin inspecting my gear and look toward Mina "Miss Mina, I need temporary authorization to fast-travel to Randome City. One of my contacts is asking for my help."

"May I inquire who this contact of yours is Miyo? We both know you've had a shady past the last couple of years. In addition: I am worried for your safety and for Lowee's citizens, I don't want to put them in unneeded danger."

"Sorry Miss Mina but no. Everyone has their secrets they want to keep, but trust me when I say that I'm doing this with everyone's interests in mind: Especially Blanc's." I say with an uneasy tone.

I hate that I have to keep secrets from my employer like this, but my morality is neither black or white. While I really like Rom, Ram, Blanc, Nepgear, and the other people here in Gamindustri; I'm not native to this land and I hold little loyalty to the CPUs and people like me tend to have similar viewpoints. At the end of the day, this is just a job I'm taking since I need money to buy food to live. However, I strongly hope that going to this length to helping the CPUs will earn me some brownie points which I could cash in at a later date. People like me: people stranded here from their own dimensions; we're not exactly united since most of us tend to isolate ourselves from society so completely based on what I've seen, though I've seen exceptions here and there, and I want to change that. While it could take time, I want to establish a village so we won't have to be alone anymore. We need a place where we can congregate and better serve the goal Thraaklon wanted from all of us: Survive and persevere.

"Very well. But don't you want to inform Izumi and have her accompany you"

"No. She's suffering enough as it is. I don't want to burden her any further right now. I'm going on my own." I say with a sad frown as I take the opportunity to fast-travel to Randome City.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] September 10th 20XX

Location: [Randome City]

When I fast-traveled to Randome City, I walked to the nearby forest and noticed the house that one of Thraaklon's apprentices built himself deep within it. I actually got to meet him a year after I graduated Thraaklon's training, but unfortunately, he died in battle investigating a dungeon called the Oblivion Ruins a few months ago.

He was a fae like being named Spark and looking back, he was rather big at 5'2 if what the fairy tales say about fairies are true. But putting that aside, he was freaking blood thirsty on the surface since he actually tried cutting me into tiny pieces and fought me to do so, and I subconsciously drew upon all of the rage that Thraaklon tried to instill in me, even though it was rather fragmented and it couldn't match his rage. That was one of the toughest battles I had fought in my life at that point and he actually busted up my sword arm for a few days but I got him back in my own way: I slashed off one of his wings which, according to his words 'stung worse than a Viali'...whatever the heck that is; thankfully, it regrew after a month passed. When the bloodlust in both our heads cleared, Spark said he recognized Thraaklon's crest on my weapons and apologized for jumping into battle so suddenly, but he wasn't exactly too fond of being around people: hence his desire to isolate himself from society. Despite that, since we could relate, he actually offered to let me live there if I wished. I turned him down but said that I'd come by every now and then since I had a mission I had to do.

Although the forest isn't too far away from Randome City, Spark chanted special magic all over the place and made it where you have to take an extremely specific path to make it to his house and I got lost for hours when I first tried finding the guy after hearing rumors of him from people in the city. Afterwards, he took a bit of my blood and adjusted the spell; it'd allow me to always find this place if I wanted to visit him.

When I reach the exterior, I notice CFW Brave standing nearby, seemingly staring at the building

"How did you get here Lord Brave?" I inquire as I join his staring at what appears to be a caved-in house. Spark had actually used magic to disguise his house's appearance to deter people from taking the effort to investigate.

"It wasn't too difficult. All magic can be dispelled with enough effort. I don't know who did all this, but its extravagance is remarkable so I made sure it was temporary. But I fail to comprehend the value of using such complex magic to hide such a hideous abode."

I lightly chuckle in response "It's another part of the illusion. No one has been here for a few months. The old owner died in battle."

"Such a shame. But I need to get to business. We have formulated a plan of action to destroy the Guardragon."

"May I ask what that plan of action is Lord Brave?"

"We are building a neutron bomb. We aim to trap the monster in a dungeon and detonate it to ensure its destruction."

"A-A-A...Neutron bomb?! Lord Brave, that would kill every monster and all the plant life in whatever dungeon we choose! Whoever assigned to detonate it will die as well!"

"I are aware. But this Guardragon must be destroyed lest it evolves to the point where it can enter cities or spreads its gift to other monsters. Either outcome will be disastrous. We have no choice in the matter. Putting that aside, we require your assistance in constructing the device Miyo Hanari."

"I'm...er. Saying I'm uneasy about constructing a WMD is putting it mildly. What's keeping you guys from using the technology against us in the future?"

"Trust me, we wouldn't even consider using such things if we weren't in such bad straits. It's common knowledge that using weapons of mass destruction would earn nothing but extreme ire in most cases and it's counter-productive if we wiped ourselves out. However, in this case, people will applaud our initiative to wiping out a nationwide catastrophe waiting to happen."

"You are very crafty Lord Brave. You want my technical expertise to help you build faith in ASIC. But I know you're right about this. I'd rather suffer a minor loss of share distribution than significant loss against that blasted Guardragon. Just...bring me to where you're building this thing and I'll try to help."

"Your help is appreciated Miyo Hanari." Brave says as he extends his hand in my direction, wanting me to grab hold so we'll end up in the same place when he uses fast-travel.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [13:30] September 10th 20XX

Location: [Unknown]

After the fast-travel finished, I find myself in what appears to be a small factory. I see a bunch of people rapidly assembling various parts of the bomb Brave had told me about. There appears to be a computer built into the frame

"These people are loyal to ASIC's cause, even when they know that the technology is being used as a disastrous weapon beyond anything in existence."

"No kidding. I rarely encounter people capable of such fanaticism." I retort rather sarcastically, though I quietly applaud their resolve in such dangerous times. It's one thing to have faith in a higher power, but to go this far and construct _explosive ordnance_ for the sake of their faith and to protect their friends and family...I wish I had a tenth of that resolve. Honestly...when push comes to shove, I'm a freaking coward. I imagine Thraaklon would've taught me to be able to handle any situation with courage and all that if he hadn't rushed my training since he was at the end of his life.

Spark told me once that Thraaklon would always spend five years training the people he recruits, so Wrex, Garrus, and I had our training end abruptly at two years and six months respectively with his death. But then again, I highly doubt _those_ two needed training beyond instruction of the guard barriers since they had seen more action within a single decade than most people would see in their entire life.*

"I call it loyalty to ASIC's mission. But none of these people are skilled computer technicians, they build things for a living. Based on your history, your technical skills are among the elite."

"Heh. I try not to toot my own horn, but I did come a civilization renowned for their technical expertise." I say with my tone becoming rather condescending even though I didn't mean it to.

Honestly; while I am an Isnian, I don't know many of our technological advances. However, I inherited the strong intellect that was commonplace among our people, and that's partially because of the implants grafted on my person. It doesn't work like my cybernetics and can't help me in a physical way, but it helps me store information. When it comes to technology, the implants instantly show me the best way to work with any technology within reason, though they're not fool-proof. However, it only shows me what I can do, I can't do it without resources. I had the implant help me upgrade Karen's gauntlet with materials I had available on the physical side. Honestly, it was far simpler handling the technical side: Most of the work was already done and I was simply improving what was already in place, though the most controversial upgrade I made was the skill creation system. I question day and night whether that upgrade was beneficial or not since I know of the pros and cons of both: The old system was cluttered and a bit unreliable in the long-term, but its specifications mirrored the capabilities of the user which I admire. My system was far more streamlined and skills could be created far more easily, but that crucial feature of the old system wasn't capable in this version of my upgrade. The next chance I get, I'll do my utmost to modify my system to allow that feature. Karen will need all the advantages she can get.

"Okay, then can you get to work immediately?"

"Don't insult me." I retort with a confident grin as I walk toward the frame and get to work.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [18:00] September 10th 20XX

Location: [Unknown]

To my surprise, these engineers were incredibly fast and skilled with this bomb's construction and they left me be while I worked on the bomb's fission drive. This computer's display was really advanced since I was able to use special flex sensor gloves to work with it, which created a sort of virtual reality field which allows me to work really quickly and more accurately than through conventional means. While I was working on the fission drive, I noticed it was rather unstable and I had to do everything I could to keep it from prematurely detonating. Failure would result in everyone in this area getting vaporized. No wonder Brave went out of his way to recruit me and send a letter straight to the Basilicom. I highly doubt anyone else would be able to pull something like this off, atleast, not in a way that'd allow for quick utilization of this puppy.

"_Virtual reality...I haven't seen much of that in this world. Maybe I should bring that info back to Karen. Based on what I've read, CPUs supposed to establish nations and this could be a revolutionary concept in gaming that she could take._"

I continue trying to work with the drive though it's actually a very tough challenge since the tiniest of mistakes could destabilize the entire thing, so I'm being forced to play this game very cautiously for the sake of everyone here

"_Geez, this is the toughest thing I've done in my life so far. It's almost as if they WANT us to get killed by this thing!_" I mutter as I write in a few subroutines to better smooth over the computer operated timer system and to stabilize the fusion reaction within the bomb. I want to ensure that whoever is unlucky enough to be forced to trigger this thing has a chance to escape, but a part of me doesn't want me to set too wide a berth; not with how powerful this abomination is. We may only have one chance against this freak of nature and I know that, despite my personal feelings, I must minimize the chance of failure.

While my focus was kept on this, I could easily notice someone walk next to me

"Miyo, it's good to see you again."

While I haven't seen her in roughly six years, I could easily recognize her, even when I was ten and she was twenty. This long haired mahogany haired, brown eyed woman's name is Filia Yuasa. She's wearing plate armor that obviously looks custom made as it looks like it was made out of ice even though it's actually made of shiny mythril and the pauldrons are oversized since I think there is a six inch space between her arm and the far end of it. There's also a blue cape built into the gorget though it thankfully isn't long enough to trip over. I wouldn't have noticed it was her until she took off her extravagant falcon-themed armet helmet before she spoke with me.

According to what I heard when I stayed with the family for four months: Filia's mother is native to Gamindustri while her father is from a world called Bespeon; so in that regard, Filia's apparently half human and half Bushrak; if her father was serious about what his species was called; but apparently the humans here take a higher priority in genetics since Filia looks like her mother while her father apparently was a reptilian humanoid. I never got a chance to meet him since he was on some sort of fancy crusade around the world and wouldn't be back for another six months according to what Filia's mother said. Ironically, a week after I left, I met Izumi and that particular train ride went on for six whole years. At that time, she said her marriage with him had reached their 40th year and he had been in Gamindustri for forty five. He apparently spent the first five training with Thraaklon and a reason why he went on his crusade was to deal with grief following Thraaklon's death.

"Filia? What are you doing here? You hardly seem the ASIC type. You were one of Lady Green Heart's followers."

"Well; things change Miyo. But to answer your question, you know I've been practicing my swordplay since I was twelve; I've had fourteen years to refine my talents. Besides, my father was injured fighting some monster and has fallen ill; to the point where he's beginning to die. I was told ASIC knows how to cure it, so I signed up in a heartbeat. They assigned me to oversee security in this area." I can't exactly argue against that, nor am I really interested to. Besides, she's in her mid-twenties now and she began her training when she was a teenager so she knew full well what she was doing "And I never pegged you for an ASIC type either Miyo. You just never seemed the religious type."

"It's just a job. But I have a personal stake in this one."

"Fine by me; that certainly seems like you; even when you were a kid. You tended to keep your morals rather flexible."

"Mhm. I can't exactly afford to let myself be burdened by moral implications too much. I need to survive, so I throw morals to the wind for the most part. However, I'm not a machine: I do disobey orders that I don't agree with. I just...tend to keep that to a minimal."

"Wow, when you explain it, you have a screwed up philosophy. Tell me of a time when you disobeyed an order." Filia was rather wide-eyed when I talked of how I tend to work.

"Hmm." I simply try to recall such a time before I simply stop and stare aimlessly. I nervously gulp and scratch the back of my head as I realize I've never had a case of that happening. I've done wetwork and had little issue with it; but the guy I was sent to kill had it coming "No comment."

"Heh, I was right: Your philosophy _is_ screwed up." Filia says with a cocky grin, putting a hand on her waist.

"I don't want to hear that from you, you hypocrite." I retort, mimicking her own tone.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're here handling the tech work Miyo. You certainly seem to know what you're doing." Filia finishes with a heartfelt laugh.

"Eh, a bit. I've never dealt with explosive ordnance before, but I happen to have a gift with technology."

"Fair enough; I need to get back to work, but when all this calms down, we should meet up and talk. It's been six years after all."

"I'd like that Filia."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [4:00] September 11th 20XX

Location: [Unknown]

We had been working through the night and all of the effort we put into construction, programming, and security has paid off: The bomb is complete and ready for deployment. But of course, there is a rather obvious problem in front of us as well: How in the world are we going to transport this thing to the dungeon we'll pick? It weighs a ton and I highly doubt any CFW is capable of carrying it. I know damn well that I couldn't achieve a feat like this in my life, even with my cybernetics.

"Way to go everyone. We've done it. Now disperse!" Filia proclaims as she leads the evacuation process with the other members of the security team in the area helping her.

When everyone is sent out of the area, only Filia and me are left "You too Doc. But considering that I swore not to come home until my father's cured; I can't go back home, so you mind entertaining a guest? I imagine you've been on your own all this time?"

"Wow; you certainly have become incredibly conceited Filia. No, I have a friend I travel with thank you very much. I met her a week after I left you guys. Lately, I've been staying in Lowee's Basilicom." If anyone other than Filia said this much, I would've added a number of profanities to that statement.

"The Basilicom? Let me guess-"

"Just another job Filia. But how are we transporting this abomination?"

"I contacted the CFWs already, they're bringing anti-gravity tech to transport this thing. They'll take care of the rest. Let's hurry back so we can get a bit of sleep."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [4:30] September 11th 20XX

Location: [Lowee Basilicom]

While it took some time to reach it because of the near endless flight of stairs, we've finally made it inside the building and we blow into our hands some to warm them up from the freezing cold.

"Okay...I'll show you where the guest rooms are that way. You'll need to help me out though Filia; if I'm not careful, I'll fall asleep at the drop of a hat."

"Got it Miyo. I'm as tired as you, but I atleast can hold fatigue at bay for a time. Let's hurry." Filia says as she supports me as we walk in the direction of the guest rooms.

When we make it to the room I directed as mine, she helps me inside and lays me on the bed rather gently "You going to be okay Miyo?"

"After some rest, maybe." I say as sleep take me in a near heartbeat.

"Okay, go get some sleep you little tech junkie." Filia says with a playful chuckle as she runs her hand through my hair; afterwards, I hear her exit the room.

"Bugger off you hypocritical traitor." I retort with a quiet laugh in face of her tease there.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:00] September 11th 20XX

Location: [Lowee Basilicom]

After getting a fair amount of rest from last night's escapades, I was awakened by Miss Mina with the news that I had received a new letter from an anonymous source. When I read it, it tells me to quickly head to Endless Zone: ASIC is mobilizing there and CFW Judge will be acting as bait while Brave, Magic, and Trick create a barrier veil over the dungeon to prevent that Guardragon from escaping. They are requesting my help to ensure the bomb detonates.

"Miss Mina; I'm departing. I'm going to destroy that Guardragon once and for all. When I return; Karen, RED, and all of the citizens infected will be cured."

"Very well. I wish you the best Miyo Hanari. But there is one thing I wish to say."

"What is it Miss Mina?" I inquire, wondering what she wants to say to me.

"As of today, you and Izumi are relieved of your duties here in the Basilicom."

"Relieved of...You're firing us?! But...is it because I'm keeping secrets?!"

"No. It is not for that reason Miyo. You and Izumi are exceptional employees, but now that Caelus has regained her powers through Karen; she will need loyal followers to serve her, to protect her, to believe in her. I want you and Izumi to be among the first. She is a CPU and needs shares to maintain her power and potentially her life. Can I ask this of you?"

I look away from her out of unease for a moment before I shift my eyes toward her "I'm not exactly loyal to CPUs. I'm not from this world, so I keep religion separate from my moral obligations. But in this case; I give my faith to her not because she's a CPU. I do it because Karen's my friend and we both know the same pain from what this world does to people."

"And that is acceptable; if not unorthodox. Is there anyone you wish to accompany you as you depart?"

"I will ask them appropriately, but I imagine all but one of them would accept without hesitation. But Lady Mina, would you mind if I asked for Gust to travel with me?"

"That is her choice. I'll gather your friends in the lobby and they'll decide then if they wish to travel with you or not."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:15] September 11th 20XX

Location: [Lowee Basilicom]

After walking to the lobby, I see Izumi, Filia, and Gust sitting in different pews and all walk toward me

"I'm glad you all are here. I need to ask you all something."

"You have question for Gust?"

"Yeah. I do. Do you three want to travel with me? We'll be gathering special objects called Mascot Characters. We need to get the ones here in Lowee and in Leanbox."

"Gust is in. Gust has been wanting to travel for rare ingredients for longest time. Also; Gust wish to rectify past statement: Gust charge triple usual rate for healing and labor."

"Ugh" I groan as I look through my inventory to see if I have enough to pay Gust for this sudden charge "Um...can I offer an IOU? I can barely pay half." I nervously inquire, knowing that Gust takes this stuff extremely seriously.

"Gust, I'll pay the charge on Miyo Hanari's behalf. Even though Karen is not a Goddess of Lowee; she is a CPU and we Oracles are sworn to aid CPUs." Mina interjects and I'm extremely thankful that she's bailing me out like this since money is tight.

"That is acceptable Oracle Mina."

Thankfully this uncomfortable tangent was quickly swept under the rug before things got bad and the old matter of business continued

"Do you even have to ask Miyo? We've been working together for six years; I'm not leaving now."

"So this is who you've been traveling with for the last six years. She certainly seems capable enough. Wish I could say the same for those poor souls who got hurt by that Guardragon."

"Yeah; about that one, let's get going. A friend of mine told us to meet him outside Endless Zone immediately."

* * *

Right when I would've fast-traveled, I see Karen limp toward us wearing her armor sans helmet

"There is no damn way you're leaving me behind on this one." Karen says to us, though she coughs a good deal and she quickly falls to her knees. Immediately afterward, Izumi and Filia go to support her.

"Karen, you need to rest." I sternly say to her as I crouch down to her level, facing her from the side in case this disease is contagious.

"Screw that. I know what you're doing and I am not letting this slide." Karen snarls, acknowledging why I'm not facing her, but her fiery temper is obviously directed at me.

"Dammit Karen, you nearly got killed by that monster and you want to go after it again?!" I groan as I look toward Izumi and Gust "Can you two restrain her with magic? Filia and I will go on our own."

Izumi and Gust quickly use their magic to spawn chains which quickly force Karen to the ground and prevent her from moving

"You had this coming Karen, now stay put like a good girl while we destroy the monster."

I mouth apologies to Izumi and Gust as Filia and I fast-travel to Endless Zone.

* * *

Chirper Events:

Lily Rank 4 - Miyo, Filia

"Heh, that Karen girl is crazy." Filia smirks amusedly as she recalls how Karen was fighting so much to get by and convince us to let her tag along.

"You believe it's crazy, I believe it's fearlessness. She is willing to push herself to her absolute limit for her goals. She has irritated me some because of that, but she's braver than I could ever be."

"Really now? Are you certain you're not just misguided with her?"

"No. While I haven't known her long; you can easily tell that she is determined to do whatever it takes. Think about it: She was beyond sick with that neurotoxin and yet she persisted to try convincing us to let her tag along."

"Speaking of which...how did she have the strength to pull that off? I've seen RED and she could barely talk without going into a coughing fit, let alone walk. How did she do it?" Filia got rather serious when she asked this question, dropping her usual jokester attitude.

"She's a goddess. While she's hardly infallible, she's still one of five CPUs in Gamindustri. Purple Heart is lazy and childish, Black Heart is a bit conceited and always tries to do everything, White Heart has her severe temper, and while Green Heart appears level-headed, she is a rather obsessed otaku. Karen appears rather hot-headed but she is not lacking for confidence."

"Er, that raises more questions than answers. I'll keep it to one however. She's not from this world. How is she a Goddess?"

"That is a legit question. Believe it or not, she's carrying the soul of an ancient CPU and she recently gained the Hard Drive Divinity ability. While the power is not strictly hers, she gained the right to use it from the CPU that merged with her."

"So she's basically just borrowing a Goddess' power?"

"Well, kinda. It's hard to explain the specifics."

"Ah. I see. I'll let her explain then when I get the chance to ask."

* * *

Back to story

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:30] September 11th 20XX

Location: [Endless Zone]

When Filia and I arrive outside the dungeon, we find all CFWs there with a small contingent of soldiers, but what surprises me the absolute most is that CFW Judge has the bomb we constructed strapped to _his_ _back_.

"About time you make it." Magic scoffs at my entrance, and I respond in kind

"Well _sorry_. Not everyone is blessed enough to have the ability to teleport from place to place in a heartbeat." I retort with my voice full of sarcasm.

"Stop it. We can't afford to fight here. We're here to destroy the Guardragon. We've managed to lure it here and trap it with our strongest barrier magic." Brave says as he defuses the situation before looking toward me "Miyo Hanari; we need you to arm this bomb. Judge volunteered to take it into battle, knowing that it'll destroy him in the process. When you do this, we'll make a small gap in the barrier for Judge to enter and confront the beast. We've been throwing monster after monster at it to keep it distracted and that will be our ace in the hole when Judge is deployed. Hopefully the monsters will have distracted the Guardragon enough that it doesn't notice the gap of security."

"Are you sure Judge? You're willing to go this far?"

"You insult me by simply asking. This enemy evaded me two years ago and I am going to destroy it here and now! I don't care if it's through my axe or through this bomb, it falls. Here and now! If I am to die, I will die destroying an enemy that once defeated me! Arm the bomb already, before I cut you to pieces!"

"Alright alright! Just...crouch down so I can reach the controls." I mutter in minor irritation before making the request of Judge "Thanks for letting me keep the flex sensor gloves by the way."

After Judge crouches down, I work the controls and set the timer to three minutes, plenty of time to get in and go nuclear against this thing.

"All set. You had better get moving Judge; that bomb will explode in three minutes and remember that the radiation of the bomb may not be enough to kill it. Get close enough so the explosion will be the catalyst for its destruction."

"Don't lecture me." Judge snarls as he dashes toward the dungeon.

"So...how do we know if the guy succeeded or failed?" Filia inquires as she stretches her arms and connects them around her back.

"We'll obviously feel the explosion's after-effects from here, even with the barrier in effect. Once the bomb detonates, we'll scan the dungeon to see if the Guardragon has indeed been vanquished. If he succeeded, we'll lift the barrier and announce that the monster causing trouble has been killed through the combined work of ASIC and the CPUs."

"But after that, all pretenses end. We'll use all of our resources to stop them. If you get in our way, we will not hesitate in the slightest."

"Fair enough. Since you ordered our termination CFW Magic, I will accept that our next encounter will be on the battlefield."

"Exactly. The sole reason why I didn't have you killed now was because we needed your technical skill."

"Thanks for the motivational speech." I scoff and beckon Filia to walk a short distance away from ASIC "_Okay, this is going to be our cut-off point. Are you okay with that one?_"

"_I'm helping these guys since my father is dying from that neurotoxin. Once I ensure he's fine, I won't care about these jerks whatsoever. You must know they're playing nice to get your help right? In any other case, I would've let them be out of gratitude, but if you ask me to, I'll gladly help destroy them._"

"_You mean it?_" I ask with my tone getting soft out of surprise over Filia's sincerity to help.

"_Yeah. Miyo look, while I don't know the experience you've lived first-hand since I was a 2nd-gen, but in a way, we're birds of a feather. In the truest sense, I'm not native to Gamindustri just like you. Erm...I'm probably indirectly insulting you by saying this, but know I'm trying atleast._"

"_I know Filia. Thanks regardless._"

* * *

POV: CFW Judge

After being sent to my inevitable death, I wander through the dungeon trying to find the enemy that defeated us two years ago. I remember that it severely wounded Trick and mutilated Magic by tearing off her wings and sported them as war trophies. The surrounding areas are desolate which I presume is because of how our monster minions are distracting this abomination so I can ensure it is destroyed once and for all. It has been alive for over two years, and those two years have been far too long.

When I make it to the farthest depths of the dungeon, the sight of the monster wiping out monster after monster fills my soul with both exhilaration and rage to make sure this foe is neutralized permanently. I notice the timer reaching thirty seconds and I'm still too far away for total annihilation, but I should be able to get one single slash of it.

To my dismay, the bomb detonates before I'm able to get a single slash over this two year old nemesis but seeing a monster this strong die through my work, even in this pathetic manner, gives me fulfillment. I died destroying a monster stronger than any other.

"_Magic. Brave. Trick. You three had better destroy all of ASIC's enemies when this is over! I want to see each and every one of them end up in the fiery abyss! Kill them so I can tear each and every one of them apart limb by limb!_"

* * *

After another minute passes, I feel sensations similar to an earthquake, meaning that the bomb has exploded. Brave then casts his spell and sigh deeply after a few minutes pass "The operation has been successful. The Guardragon has been destroyed."

"Well now. Now that this crisis is over, we're no longer friends. We're enemies out to kill." I muse rather solemnly knowing that the alliance is concluded.

"No surprise there. We'll let you go just this once since you helped save our followers. But the next time we meet, we won't hold back at all."

"I'd expect nothing less Magic. Farewell Lord Brave, Trick; Magic."

Although the trip was brief, the importance of it is far too important to simply dismiss: A world-wide catastrophe has been averted and our brief alliance with ASIC is concluded. Now Karen, Izumi, RED, Gust, Filia, and I are an independent faction. We'll likely have to fight against Nepgear's group if we encounter them and for the time being, they outnumber and overpower us. Right now, we only have six people compared to Nepgear's ten: Herself, IF, Compa, Nisa, Falcom, Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, and Shino, and it could go to eleven if they recruit the CPU Candidate of Lastation: Uni. If we have to fight, we're going to need to recruit more people to stand a chance.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:00] September 11th 20XX

Location: [Lowee Basilicom]

After making it back to the Basilicom, I find Gust and Izumi unconscious and Karen standing over them

"Dear goddess. Did you actually fight them Karen?" I mutter in surprise as I check to see if they're doing okay.

"I didn't hurt them too badly. At worst, they'll have minor headaches. These two had put up a strong fight though, I'll give them that. I had Celeste in hand and it was tough. Then again, I am still pretty sick from the neurotoxin in my veins. Look Miyo. I don't like that you had Izumi and Gust chain me to _the floor_, but I can understand why you did it. I would've done the same in your shoes. But know that if you do something like that again, I won't hesitate to repeat this process to you."

I gulp in acknowledgement since I know first-hand how powerful Celeste is and I don't want to be on the receiving end of that blade.

"_Hm, while I can see the reptilian scales beginning to recede, it'll still take some time for her to truly recover. Likely a day or so._" I mumble in my head "Karen, I think you should get some rest. You're not fully cured yet. The Guardragon has been destroyed so "

"I guess." Karen says as she slowly walks away from the lobby in the direction of her room.

"Oh boy. I was originally going to get the Mascot Character when we got back, but with Izumi and Gust out of commission, I don't want to risk it."

"Good enough point. Besides, we're kinda delving into CPU territory regardless of the fact. I feel like we regular humans should minimize our involvement in such things, though that's just my stance. I may worship Green Heart but that doesn't mean she's my best friend or anything. To be truthfully honest, I'd rather wait for our CPU to get back in peak condition."

"Agreed. For the time being, how about we do some quests? After we inform Miss Mina that the Guardragon has been destroyed and lifts the fast-travel restrictions."

* * *

A/N: You cannot deny that Urdnot Wrex and Garrus Vakarian have been to hell and back. Anyone that works with Commander Shepard would be. Also, if you're wondering what exactly Miyo was talking about with her work status: She's basically like Financier from the first Neptunia game: She works for Blanc yet doesn't worship her and in this regard, Miyo doesn't worship any CPU. And before you start asking questions: there's a difference between worshipping people and having faith in a friend. Lastly, if you're wondering why Trick never speaks when he's on scene, putting it simply: I hate that character and I refuse to give him the benefit of speech. It's bad enough giving him mere existence.


	13. Chapter 12: Lowee's Finale

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [8:00] September 12th 20XX

Location: [Lowee Basilicom - Training Room]

* * *

After getting a fair amount of rest and feeling the scales over my body finally dissipating, I'm able to finally resume my old schedule though it's a bit of a pain pulling off some of my more intricate maneuvers I developed during my training sessions since I've been out of routine so long and my reflexes have become a bit dulled from my constant sleeping bouts. I woke up at roughly five and I've been spending my morning training to build up my physique again. I have noticed a bystander watching me for about an hour now but I've been ignoring that person since I need to get back into shape.

"Miyo was right. You certainly don't lack for determination." I look to see the woman that Miyo was with yesterday walk toward me.

"I never caught your name. All I know is that you know Miyo." I say, with my focus quickly going back to my training.

"Yep. While it's been years since I've seen her, I met her back when she was a kid. Name's Filia Yuasa." Filia responds as she pulls out a sword sheath and reveals a shiny durandal sword "Up for a tag team? You can't truly become better training by yourself. You get better by sparring with strong opponents."

"Karen Koizumi. And if you think you can handle me, go ahead."

"Them's fighting words right there. I won't hold back just because you're a goddess. If anything, I'm going to go all-out because of that." Filia smirked amusedly as she talks to me.

"Fine by me. Izumi's not good at melee combat and Miyo told me she's not interested in training with me."

* * *

We cross our swords to show that this duel is not a death match and we are not to harm each other during this duel. Afterwards, we jump into this full-swing; our swords repeatedly clash as the sound of metal rings through the whole room. What catches me off-guard is that even with me having Celeste's passive mastery capability, this woman is on the same level as I am, if not even higher. While we have our duel, we make small talk even though our focus is committed here.

"You certainly make a good impression. I've been training my sword skills for fourteen years and you are able to match me blow for blow. But your stance is bizarre."

"Not everyone has the same sword stance Filia. I learned how to use these stances from an ancient CPU. From an age far older than both of us."

"I won't disagree; but the air about you appears rather forced. Almost as if you have magic influencing your moves."

"Huh. You're certainly perceptive Filia. You're right on the mark. This sword allows me to fight like a master; though it only works for this sword."

"Not good enough. You may be content knowing how to fight with that magic sword, but you need to learn how to fight without it. What if you were in a situation where you didn't have the sword? You'd be done for."

"The sword is bound to my will because of my link with Caelus. But I can see your logic here Filia."

"Okay, so I want to see how well you can handle normal weapons." Filia says as she pulls out a rather plain sword from her inventory and passes it to me "This sword is really bland, but it's light so it's perfect for novice trainees. Let's see how you fare conventionally, with no magic supporting you. Since we're running a test, I'll go easy."

* * *

After switching out our official weapons for wood weaponry, we resume our duel which becomes a lot sloppier as we're using weapons not truly meant for battle. She thankfully seems to have adjusted her strength in response and since I'm not using Celeste, I'm not at master level, but I've seen my friends use swords so I know a few basic stances.

"Not bad. You know a few stances so you're not completely helpless. But you were rather stiff with some of your maneuvers. I'm willing to blame that because of how you were sick so long and confined to bed however. If you want, I'd be willing to join in your daily routine to train your skill."

"I'd like that. It's actually a drag training on my own. If I had someone to train with me, it'd exponentially increase what I could do."

"Yep. Come on, let's get some breakfast; I imagine you're hungry from overexerting yourself so much." Filia says as she walks out of the room.

"_This woman is beyond strange. She acts so...impish, and yet she has such a serious streak that can be flipped at the drop of a hat. She reminds me of Mamoru a little._"

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:00] September 12th 20XX

Location: [Lowee Basilicom]

After eating my breakfast, I notice Miyo, Izumi, Gust, and RED waiting for me in the main lobby

"Glad to see you back in tip top shape Karen. Next time, don't do anything rash! If I say something is dangerous, exercise extreme caution!"

"I know Miyo. I'm thankful you all went to such lengths to help me and RED."

"Damn it Karen; that apology is making it difficult for me to be mad at you." Miyo was rather sincere in the desire to be furious at my rash actions, though that quickly fades "Thankfully, that Guardragon is gone so we shouldn't have any more trouble, but we should still exercise caution. No monster has ever been that strong and even if it was a freak accident; the fact it happened just once means it can happen again."

"**Correct. We cannot afford to take risks anymore in our quest to defeat ASIC. We must hurry to find Lowee's Mascot Character and rush to Leanbox.**"

"Okay then; let's get going. Miss Mina unlocked the fast-travel network so we can go to the World Maze."

"Hold up! You aren't going without us!" Ram exclaims as she pops out from behind a pew with Rom in tow.

"Wha-Ram! Rom! Why are you here?!" Miyo further exclaims out of shock, obviously surprised seeing the twins here.

"We're going with you. Even if you say no, we'll just simply sneak out."

"Ram no! You are not coming with us! This journey is far too dangerous for children." Izumi snarls rather angrily toward the two siblings.

"We're not children Miss Izumi. You know that. Besides, we're Lowee's CPUs and CPUs are supposed to guide and protect their nation. After going through all the effort we put in lately, we're not giving up. We're going to show our sister that we can handle anything! Right Rom?"

"Right. We want to help."

"**Miyo. Izumi. We will need their assistance against ASIC. Trust me when I say that we will need every CPU we can get. My sisters were never truly united against this enemy and we suffered greatly in the process. While I technically succeeded, I still failed. I stalled for time so another attempt could be made in the future. A successful attempt. Listen. Division will ensure that we lose this battle. Only when we are united will victory be attainable.**" Caelus explains rather seriously as she talks about her last battle somewhat.

"But…" Miyo slightly groans before taking notice of Mina "Miss Mina. Please talk some sense into them."

"Listen Miyo. Blanc told me to watch over Rom and Ram, but you can tell that they both want to go with you. Besides, what Caelus said is quite logical. What few records we have say that the CPUs of old suffered greatly against the Arfoire Syndicate of International Crime. Unfortunately, we know little about that time period. Caelus, can you give us any information from then?"

"**I...Oracle Mina, please understand when I say that I don't want to remember the old days. The past is past and I wish to keep it that way.**"

"I understand. No information is worth divulging into unpleasant experiences." I can tell that Mina is a bit disappointed in Caelus' decision, but understands nonetheless.

"**Thank you. I will honor my memories and my siblings, but those memories will remain mine and will never be divulged, even to my avatar. Let us go and get the Mascot Character of this nation so we can continue our journey. I am feeling...eager to see ASIC dismantled once and for all.**"

"Okay listen Rom. Ram. I need you two to listen to Izumi and Miyo while you are with them. While I have dismissed them from employment here, I am still giving them the position of caretaker. They simply won't be receiving income for it."

"We'll be on our best behavior. We promise Miss Mina. Right Rom?"

"Right."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:00] September 12th 20XX

Location: [World Maze Layer 1]

After we used fast-travel to travel from the Basilicom to the dungeon where the Mascot Character is: World Maze, we find ourselves mildly spread out at the entrance; Filia and I ahead of the others. I notice that my armor has fully formed when we entered, same with Miyo, Izumi, and Filia; though Rom, Ram, Gust, and RED are still wearing their normal clothing

"Er. I'm a little confused here. The four of us are wearing our armor yet the others are in their normal clothes. Why exactly is this happening when we enter a dungeon?" I inquire as I press the button on my helmet's right side so I could open the faceplate and speak without my voice being muffled.

"That's actually easy to answer. Armor in this world establishes a symbiotic bond with their partner which automatically triggers when entering battle zones, though it only works for as long as you have the armor. It is possible to get the bond shattered with a spell, though I've never found the process worth it. I mean; why would you want to destroy the spell that automatically gives you an extra defensive layer in battle?" Miyo explains to me, with her keeping her helmet on so her voice is muffled like mine would've been.

"Good enough point."

"Okay, let's get to work. Karen, you're the strategist of our team; so I'll let you coordinate our formation."

"Alright. Considering our weapon specialities: how about this? Filia and I will be in the front; Rom, Ram, and Izumi will take mid-guard. Miyo, Gust, and RED will be in the rearguard, watching our back and protecting our healers. Our goal is the farthest reaches of this dungeon and the Mascot Character here. Move out." I say as I press my helmet's button to close my face-plate.

* * *

We then begin to move though Miyo is paralyzed, simply staring at the environs

"Miyo, you okay?"

"I'm okay. It's just that...something about this place doesn't sit well with me. My mind is shouting 'There's something bad about this place', but I can't remember what that 'thing' is. Maybe I'm still on edge from the Guardragon incident. Don't worry though, I'll be fine. It's just a momentary distraction." Miyo explains before she lightly slaps her cheeks to perk herself up and proceed onward.

We press on through the area at a slow pace since there are a large number of gaps in the floor and we could easily fall to who knows where if we're not careful and the monsters frequently jumping at us to battle does not make it any easier. Rom and Ram being here has been a surprising asset since they have magic at their command and can use it to snipe enemies from afar. Because of that, Filia and I are making sure that monsters don't get close from our vanguard positions while Miyo, Gust, and RED do the same from the rear. When we get to the entrance of second layer of this dungeon, we notice a group of floating disembodied heads with green hair and star glasses blocking it

"Okay, that is officially the strangest thing I have ever seen in this world." I mutter with mild disgust at the sight of the monsters.

"They shouldn't be too strong Karen. Miyo, come up front. We'll fight em all individually. Everyone else, keep an eye on our rear flank."

After hearing this, we begin to spread out as the monsters rapidly approach us to engage in battle. My battle style was rather straight-forward though it's still incredibly intricate; though my battle ended far too quickly for it to be seen. While Miyo's stance was rather generic for rapier users, her battle ended roughly the same time as mine, but Filia's apparently treating this fight like a dance since her movements are rather rhythmatic and utterly in sync with a form of dance I don't really know about.

"_Woah. I knew she was a skilled swordsman but now she's a skilled dancer? This is way more than I expected. She truly hides a few surprises under her sleeve._"

"_**You're telling me Karen. I know Filia mentioned that her father trained her; whom was trained by Thraaklon, but I can not see him as a dancer, even in my wildest dreams. If Thraaklon was the one behind that style...I'll be losing a month's worth of sleep. I sincerely pray that the dance was taught to her by her father.**_"

"_It's that scary for you Caelus?_"

"_**Karen…**_" Caelus takes a small break and quickly resumed talking "_**We're talking about an individual who needed three CPUs at peak strength to stop. Before I was forced to take action, two of my cities were destroyed and thousands of my citizens were killed. I want to believe that Miyo's claim that Thraaklon has changed, but we have far too much bad blood and him dying before we could remedy it doesn't help. I just don't want to see him as anything more than a raving lunatic and murderer.**_" It looks like Caelus is having rather bad thoughts in her head and her relationship with Thraaklon appears incredibly complicated.

"_I get it...kinda._"

"_**Please. Let's...forget this ever happened okay?**_"

"_Sure._" A part of me is tempted to tease Caelus for showing this side of her, but I can tell she's feeling frustrated as is, and I don't want to irritate her any further, not like this. If I am, it'll be as playful banter and nothing more. I know first-hand that there's a difference between it being playful and it actually being hurtful.

After we finished our individual battles; we regrouped in front of the portal that'll bring us to the second layer

"Way to go you three. The way is clear and we can proceed." Izumi says with a large grin as we walk toward the portal.

"We should have our best members at the front and back since this portal only works with one person at a time. I'll take lead, followed by Miyo, Izumi, Rom, Ram, Gust, RED, and then you Karen. Let's go."

* * *

After getting the order laid out by Filia, we proceed one at a time, giving a twenty second time gap per person just to be safe, and when it's my turn to teleport, I find the others locked in battle against a small horde of those monsters that blocked the entrance. Filia, Miyo, and RED apparently quickly dashed to stop the monsters from reaching our mages, though there's a rather bad gap in our formation being temporarily blocked with attack magic.

"Good, you made it Karen! Help us out!" Miyo exclaims as she fights off the monsters in her radius.

I quickly nod as I dash toward the empty gap to take on the monsters in that direction; quickly destroying them in concert with the other melee fighters of our team. When I enter battle, I quickly destroy two of the monsters, but when I slash toward the next, it swiftly dodges me strike and I would've lost my footing if I hadn't quickly stopped my movements though I quickly regain my position to strike back against the monsters since these things are in my way and I can't let any opponent stand in my way. When the monsters are destroyed, we re-establish our formation as we keep an eye out for any more monsters that try to charge at us.

"That was disastrous. If I had known this would happen, I would've reorganized our order. They may be weak, but they still had us up against the wall somewhat."

"**I concur. I suspect that Guardragon we were plagued by was a precursor of hyper-evolution of some sort. Based on what I'm seeing supplemented with my speculation: I believe that the intellect held by that monstrosity is becoming the new norm within Gamindustri. If that is the case, we will need to reevaluate the current combat capabilities of Gamindustri's civilians. We need to establish a higher standard when it comes to the arts of combat.**"

"Er, about that. Um...I remember that Falcom told me that my friends and I are stronger than this world's military, but I've been here for about two months and I've seen hide nor hair of any military force." I inquire as I remember what Falcom told me back in the Gamindustri graveyard.

"Er yeah. It's a bit unorthodox but the Guild is what passes as the military force of this world. Each branch only has a few dozen members at most, but Planeptune's branch suffered drastic losses three years ago. The CPUs never really saw the need to allocate the budget to create an official military force since the monsters kept to the dungeons and the police force took care of major crime. What's shameful is that their armaments are cheap knock-offs so they're not the best at dealing with combat for the most part; they primarily do investigations and leave combat to the enforcers, well, what few there are." Miyo explains rather methodically though she carries a rather agitated facial expression on her face, as if to say 'It's an utter and complete disgrace that there is so little initiative in terms of a response to dangerous situations'.

"Yeah, I heard a few details about that. My father did get conscripted a fair number of times to fight for the CPUs. It's a reason why he chose to live in isolation far away from Leanbox's capital."

"Wow, er; do all of you guys live apart from society that much?"

"Not _all of_ us do, but from what I've seen of the people I've met, I'd say it's a vast majority. Thraaklon stayed with the CPUs so he could use their resources to help save people, but most of his graduates live in very out of place areas; living as independently as possible. Some do live relatively normal lives among the populace, though I haven't seen many."

"Er, not that I mind talking, but let's get moving." Filia urges as we quickly regain our formation and proceed through the dungeon once again.

"Right, let's move everyone."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [11:00] September 12th 20XX

Location: [World Maze Layer 2]

After we got further into this second half of the dungeon, I hear Miyo stop in her tracks and lightly grip her head as if something is truly bothering her like when we entered this dungeon

"Miyo, this happened twice now. Do you know what's bothering you?" I worriedly ask as I glance in her direction.

"I can't remember. All I know is that something about this place is setting off dozens of warning bells in my head. I have no idea why my mind is shouting at me like this. I highly suspect that we'll find the answer at the end of this dungeon."

"Are you sure about this Miyo?"

"We don't have a choice. We need that mascot to take down ASIC." Miyo responds as she pushes on even though she's obviously feeling distressed about what's happening inside her mind.

We continue on through the dungeon fighting the monsters in our way and notice a rock formation engraved into what appears to be a large temple door. Considering what happened before, I am anticipating that this one will have some contrived reason for not coming with us.

"Here's the third Mascot Character: White Disc. If she's like the others, she has some contrived reason for her to not come with us."

* * *

Our approaching her quickly got a response from the Mascot

"It's not every day I get a visit from Lowee's two CPU Candidates and a CPU from ages past. To what do I owe this unexpected, but very welcome, visit?" The pleasant tone of her voice was quickly changed to one of surprise "Miyo Hanari? After eight years you've returned to this place. Fate truly is a mysterious thing."

"Huh? I...I was here before? But I don't ever recall ever coming here before."

"You arrived here eight years ago with a child's curiosity. I couldn't risk the seal here being discovered by a civilian so I created a computer virus that interfered with your implant. I had your memory altered to think you were exploring Atari Marsh and teleported away from this dungeon."

"So that explains all the warning bells I've been feeling since I got here. It was because I had been here before as a child and you changed my memory. My subconscious remembers the truth even though my memory was altered."

"I hate to intrude, but let's get to business. Every second we waste gives ASIC time to prepare." I say with a degree of regret since I didn't want to interrupt, but the mission is too vital to delay.

"Right. We're here to ask for your assistance against ASIC."

"Unfortunately I cannot accompany you. I was tasked by Neptune to protect this seal and I will not break my promise with her."

"Eh? Neptune? Why would Planeptune's goddess ask you to do this?" Miyo inquires as we glance in her direction.

"ASIC destroyed nearly all of Lowee's Mascot Characters a long time ago and the seal here was at risk, so Neptune made a deal with Blanc to have me come here in lieu of the absent Mascots. I can't leave this place no matter what."

"What can we do to convince you? We need your help."

"Nothing will convince me Caelus. I will not break my word with Neptune, no matter what you say. I'm sorry, but my decision is final."

"Gust has offer. Gust can create copy with alchemy."

"Are you sure you can do something like this Gust? It seems like this will be rather challenging to do."

"Gust laugh at concept of challenge. Give Gust ample space and safety." Gust proclaims as she begins unpacking her alchemy equipment and we establish a wide berth in our safety perimeter.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [17:00] September 12th 20XX

Location: [World Maze Layer 2]

After around six hours passed of waiting and fighting monsters, Gust appears to have finished as she showed us a disc she pulled from her cauldron

"Gust is finished. Last step is to imbue essence of Mascot Character into surrogate disc. Can be tiny."

"What will this do Gust?" I inquire as I inspect the disc from a short distance since she's not letting me see it upfront.

"This will be surrogate Mascot. Since this one must stay, we make copy for use."

After Gust finished speaking, I see a beam of light from the Mascot hit the disc and it turns from a generic black color to white with mist being made visible.

"Mission successful. We have Lowee Mascot."

"Perfect. Let's get out of here." Miyo says with a mild yawn since we've been practically lazing doing nothing since the monsters were keeping a distance since we had too strong a perimeter established here. However, a minute passed after Miyo attempted fast-travel but was still here "Eh? Why am I still here?" Miyo rapidly looks through a few screens and lightly gasps "They shut down the fast-travel network entirely? But why?! We destroyed the Guardragon!"

After hearing this, I quickly contact Histoire to get an Oracle's answer on the situation

"Histoire. It's me Karen. The fast-travel network is offline for some reason. Why is this?"

"This is rather abrupt, calling me so unexpectedly. But Leanbox's Oracle: Chika Hakozaki said that the Guardragon was still alive and if we didn't shut down the network, we would all be in danger." Histoire was obviously taken aback at my sudden call but still managed a professional tone as she spoke to me.

"That shouldn't be the case. Miyo reported its destruction yesterday and Mina should've spread the news."

"Well Chika spoke otherwise. She showed us legitimate evidence of its continued existence and we shut down the network until it is eradicated."

"Histoire, trust me when I say that ASIC wouldn't lie like this. Not about something this serious. Both the CPUs and ASIC were suffering with that monster raging." Miyo interjects rather solemnly as she voices her belief about the situation.

"Regardless of the fact, the network has been shut down and it requires the combined work of the four CPUs to reactivate. Am I correct in the belief that you have acquired Lowee's Mascot Character?"

"Yeah. We have White Disc and now we have to make it to Leanbox. On foot apparently."

"For the time being Karen, simply make your way to Lastation and take a Terraportation ship to Leanbox." Histoire says to me with a matter-of-fact tone as she ends the call; making me groan deeply in irritation at what I'm being faced with.

"Karen, it'll take us nearly two months to reach Lastation from here if we walk it." Miyo interjects rather bleakly as she talks about the situation.

"Damn it. Miyo, there _has_ to be a quicker way for us to reach Leanbox."

I hear a mild grunt before she speaks up "Unfortunately there isn't. Let's just get out of here via escape button and get going."

* * *

A/N: The situation involving Miyo and the Mascot is a bit complex to explain, but I know a very good comparison I can use. If you've played Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Darkness, or Sky, you should know what I'm comparing it too, but please; no spoilers into the game.


	14. Chapter 13: Journey to Leanbox

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] November 15th 20XX

Location: [Lastation]

* * *

After two gruelling months passed, we've finally made it back to Lastation's capital since we've had to walk the entire way since the fast-travel network was shut down though I'm proud to say that it wasn't a total waste since I've had that much time training with a skilled swordsman. Filia has helped me train with a sword and improved my capabilities on the battlefield as a whole. We started with conventional training but after that phase was finished, she moved on to a phase I really had trouble working with for a fair amount of time: She had me blindfolded during training to improve my reflexes when I can't see the enemy against me. Furthermore, she brought in RED and Ram on occasion when she wanted me to work against multiple opponents or magic and even though it outright hurt dealing with that, Izumi and Rom were always close to use healing magic.

In addition, Miyo has been working on my gauntlet to improve the various computer programs within it and she said she's paying particular attention to the skill creator since she hates how she designed that system before and is going out of her way to incorporate a feature that Ophelia had, though Miyo seemed rather eager to try to 'one-up' her by making the system far superior. I can imagine these two having a friendly rivalry and butting heads on a rather frequent basis as they try to surpass the other when it comes to technology.

When we reached the outskirts, Miyo pulled out eight brown robes and passes them to each of us, keeping the last for herself "Put these on all of you. We need to keep a low profile until we get on the Terraportation ship to Leanbox."

As soon as we put on these robes, they adjust their size to fit us perfectly and we then proceed to head to the docks, finding a huge crowd in front of the last ship in the area and there is plenty of shouting and pleading for them all to get on the ship

"Everyone, at this time we not allowing civilian passengers at this time! Leanbox is under indefinite lockdown and only people who have CPU authorization is allowed to go!" A man who appears to be the captain shouts out to the crowd and while some leave straightaway, the rest of the crowd has been riled up by this turn of events. Based on the fact that there are ten slots for ships to sail from, I can only presume that this is the last ship and Leanbox are keeping the other nine ships because of the lockdown.

"Oh that's not good. These guys are pissed and could get violent any second. We'd better hurry and get on that ship. Let's get to the front quickly and show Rom and Ram to him. He should easily recognize that you two are CPUs and let us onboard." Filia mumbles rather seriously and I see why she's worried: If we get wrapped up in battle here, a lot of innocent people will die because of our need to defend ourselves.

We push our way through the crowd and when we make it to the captain, Rom and Ram lower the hoods on their cloaks and look up to the man

"We're the CPU Candidates of Lowee. We have urgent business in Leanbox. Can you let us onboard?"

"You need to show me proof young miss. I've had so many claims like that already and I need actual evidence of it."

"No problem." Ram says with a confident grin as she takes off her robe and passes it to me. She then engages her HDD to show her identity as White Sister.

"Heh. You're actually a CPU. Glad to know one person atleast was being honest about it. Okay, you and your friends are clear to board."

"Hold it!" I knew this would happen since people are beginning to argue about the fact we've been let on "That's it! We're fighting our way through!" Afterwards, a bunch of people begin drawing weapons to fight

"_Oh for god's sake._" I groan rather irritably since it looks like we'll have to fight no matter what "_I can't believe I need to spill blood once again. I felt outright disgusted when I killed Vusago during Ragnarok and now I have to kill this many people. Vusago deserved his death but these people are innocent civilians._" "Miyo, get everyone on board. Filia, we need to clean up here."

After a reluctant nod, Miyo forces Izumi, Rom, Ram, Gust, and RED with her on the ship while the two of us stay here as we prepare to fight

"You sure about this? Monsters is one thing, but these guys are actual people."

"I feel like I'll vomit, but if I don't fight, I die. I've lived the last couple of years with that mindset."

"Normally I'd praise that, but I pray that you don't feel any kind of satisfaction over it."

"_No way in hell!_" It felt like I outright shrieked like a banshee at Filia's comment here even though it was a loud whisper, since I killed two people and went into mild BSODs each time. I would've lost my mind a great deal if I didn't have my friends with me since we had something akin to a safety basket of sorts. It's tough to explain but my bonds with my friends kept me from losing myself to insanity. We supported each other when times were tough.

"Glad to hear it. Killing is one thing we should never grow fond of, lest we become beings like the monsters that lurk in the dungeons." Filia grimly says to me as she pulls out her durandal sword, drives it through the chest of the nearest individual, pulls it out and ends it with a slash; the man quickly falling to the ground as he dies. What makes me feel nauseous is that the man had coughed up blood before he fell and it landed straight on Filia's face though it hardly seemed to faze her "You all had better get lost. _Right now!_ I have no problem doing this to the rest of you if you continue this desire for battle. Leave and you get to live. Leave and you get to return to your friends and family unscathed." Filia's speech was remarkable in more ways than one, especially since she had her sword pointed to the entire crowd. While she was rather ruthless in her word choice, she had a lot of compassion and desire to prevent further bloodshed in her voice. She reminds me of myself a little back when I had lived in Aincrad and Alfheim though I would never kill anyone to get my point across, I kept the line at physical intimidation. It looked like she killed this once just to make a point.

After seeing Filia kill that man, the crowd ran running to the hills and she took a rag to clean the blood off her face and her sword after she ran it through the guy's chest. When she finished, she put her sword back in her sheathe.

"Filia...how…?"

"They threatened the peace so I dealt with them. Sorry for the commotion Captain." Filia was rather blunt though she flashed an apologetic frown to the captain as she climbs aboard the ship.

"No apologies needed. You prevented a major riot from breaking out."

"Captain, I want to ask. Did you have any association with Planeptune's CPU Candidate?"

"Planeptune's CPU Candidate? Yes. She and her friends are on this ship like your group."

"_Oh sweet mother of mercy. This will not end well._" I mumble as I basically heard that my friends are on this ship. Nonetheless, I need to get to Leanbox so I need to deal with this.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [13:00] November 15th 20XX

Location: [E.R.S. Perseus]

After I boarded the ship, I notice the others gathered outside the main dining room in the ship with them having taken off their robes so I decide to do the same.

"We gotta be careful guys. Nepgear's group is here on this very same ship. We need to try to avoid them if possible."

"Far too late for that you goddess damned traitor!" I hear a familiar voice snarl toward me and the sensation of a blade at my neck is overwhelming my senses

"_Damn. I thought Filia's training would've prevented this situation from happening. I guess I was too shaken up from what happened outside. Furthermore; why in the damn world did they not alert me of this?! Or did IF actually manage to catch us ALL off-guard?_"

I turn around to see IF get pushed back by Filia with a grim frown on her face

"Get the hell away from my friend." Filia snarls as she draws her sword again and points it toward IF.

"IF, what in the world is-Karen." I quickly heard a rather upbeat voice approach in the form of a girl with pink hair before she glances in my direction and recognizes me. While the appearance is rather exotic, I recognize Yuuki's aura and voice from beyond the physical image of her clothing.

"Surrender your Mascot to us Karen. Right now."

"Not on your life. I'm not giving you Lowee's Mascot. You give me Planeptune's and Lastation's Mascots!"

"You're insane to think I would actually do that!" IF exclaims as she draws her other qatar and points it toward me.

"You really are insane IF. Taking up arms against a goddess is suicidal." I simply sigh in response at her desire to fight as I engage HDD to force her to stand down "Access!"

I am enveloped in a bright beam of light and I feel the various components of my HDD form materialize as I feel my personality begin to change from my tomboyish form to a rather elegant feminine form

"I would stop here IF. You just don't stand a chance against me in this form. I have no desire to senselessly shed blood between us."

"Then you shouldn't have betrayed us!" IF barks as she takes up battle against me against my warning.

I simply sigh as I pull Celeste out of her sheathe "I warned you IF."

All it really took was a single slash to defeat IF since I'm wielding a sword that lets me fight a master, I've been undergoing training from a skilled swordsman, and I'm in goddess form which apparently boosts my attributes to levels far beyond my human half.

"Woah! You okay IF?!" Yuuki exclaims as she goes to check on IF since I blasted her against a wall with that sword slash.

"Crap...I forgot how painful it was fighting a CPU." IF mumbles as she's supported by Yuuki.

Immediately afterward, I revert to human form since I can't maintain an indefinite CPU transformation with so little faith and afterward, Filia and Miyo walk in front of me to keep a degree of distance between us.

"IF, we may have history, but I won't forgive you for this. Karen is my friend and the goddess I swear my loyalty to. That loyalty demands that I protect her from harm."

"Oh that's rich coming from you. You were utterly averse to worship and now you decide to worship a girl not even native to Gamindustri?"

"I worship her _because_ she's not native to Gamindustri. Your CPUs can't relate to me or anyone stranded in this world. Karen can and since she's a goddess, she can give a proper home for those stranded from their civilizations. I have traveled this continent for ten years with no home, same with Izumi. For too long now we have been hiding from society because we know that we cannot be accepted because of our radical differences. I refuse to tolerate this any longer."

"I concur. My father fled civilized society because he refused to deal with those differences. People thought of him as a monster when he was the gentlest of souls."

"Don't give me that philosophical crap. I don't care about it. All I care about is that she betrayed us after we committed so much to bring her and her friends here."

"IF, you've just made me lose what little trust I had in you. It's bad enough that people like me, Izumi, Thraaklon, Wrex, Garrus, Spark; we got brought here by mere chance. You deliberately separated Karen and her group from their friends and families for the rest of their lives!"

"Huh? What are you talking about Miyo?" Yuuki inquires as she moves her glance toward her and then to IF.

"Er…"

"You never told them IF? How heartless are you capable of being?!" Miyo scowls as she walks a short distance and looks at both me and Yuuki "Yuuki, Karen; I don't know how much you know, but there's a reason why pessimism tends to plague us. Thraaklon was the very first non-native individual who ever lived here and he has lived hundreds if not thousands of years here. Do you think he would have willingly stayed if he had the option to leave? He was forcibly separated from his civilization and has not been able to find a way back home. Although he was sincere about helping me survive, I hear things from his apprentices: He hated living here at times."

"IF! Why did you never tell us about this?! All this time you promised that we'd be freed if we did this for you, and now I find that we're trapped here no matter what?!"

"Now hold up. How can you be sure she's telling the truth about this?"

"Then I'll ask the person I know I can trust. Karen, I'll trust your decision. Do you think this is true?"

I know I'd be a plain monster if I didn't feel joy at Yuuki's admission of her loyalty in me even though I barely knew her compared to the others and since I have been working against them in name "I've taken the time to examine the situation first-hand and while I'm hesitant to acknowledge it, I know that these guys are speaking the truth."

"There's my answer. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to tell Katsuo and the others of your own lies." Yuuki says as she runs down the corridor to where I presume the others are.

* * *

I look toward the others and they simply nod toward me as if to say 'Go on ahead and talk with them. We'll keep an eye on things.' After that, I walk around the ship to find Yuuki when I hear a rather angry shout from a nearby room

"You must be kidding me! _I am going to murder her._ No one lies to me and gets away with it! _No one!_"

"Stop it Katsuo. I'm mad just like you but remember that we need to stop ASIC and we need to help Nepgear to do it. Let's play nice for the time being and get our facts straight."

"No way Mamoru. I don't want to help people who forcibly stranded us in this strange world and lied to us about it. I trust you all since you're Aincrad players. You went through unspeakable hell-zones, you've experienced things I never could. I respect your judgement." Shino speaks up rather seriously about her stance in the manner as I visualize a smile in my mind when she spoke the last part regarding trust.

"While I hardly think Karen made the right call, to me, it seems like she learned this factor early on and made the choice to go rogue because she knew Histoire had lied to us. Should we join her, stay with Nepgear for the time being or go rogue ourselves and form our own group?"

"Kazuto, if we go rogue, we'll have a three-way battle over the last Mascot. Karen herself has awakened her CPU abilities and has the two CPU Candidates of Lowee with her. Nepgear and Uni are Candidates themselves and rather strong. One way or another we'll have to fight a Goddess if we try to get involved."

"So you're saying we're screwed no matter what we do Yuuki?"

"I wouldn't go that far Kazuto, but...kinda yeah."

I close my eyes and frown as I hear the conversation continue along this path when my senses tell me that I'm in danger so I draw Celeste and block a sword strike that was aiming straight for me and even though I have my eyes closed, I can easily tell who is trying to fight me here: Nepgear. While I haven't seen her in quite a while, I recognize her battle stance.

"How dare you show your face here traitor!" It was a bit of a surprise seeing Nepgear jump me this quickly but she thinks of me as an enemy so I knew it was inevitable.

I hear the door slam open and the others rush out

"What the hell is-Nepgear!" Katsuo exclaims as he takes note of the situation and draws his razor sharp sword and points it in my direction "Mamoru; pull Karen away from Nepgear."

Mamoru walks forward, puts a firm grip on my shoulder and pulls me toward the group as Katsuo aims his sword toward Nepgear now. And to be candid, I'm feeling an odd sense of nostalgia and happiness being protected by my friends like this since I was the one who did the protecting in the truest sense. In Aincrad, I was in a position that demanded that I contribute heavily to protecting everyone or else I am labeled as a traitor and failure. It was a bit cruel dealing with the stress and not just anyone could handle it; not even _I_ was able to truly do it but I had my friends helping me every step of the way, even in the early days prior to the guilds and everything depended on me, Kazuto, Katsuo, and Kibaou.

"Katsuo, what is the meaning of this?!"

"Nepgear, I am through being your slave! You lied to us all when you said you'd be able to get us back home! I understand that you need our help to defeat ASIC but you screwed up _big time_! You, Histoire, IF, all of you; you abducted us to do this. I strongly believe that the end never justifies the means. If you had kept a way to send us back when you brought us here, this wouldn't have happened. You wouldn't have pissed me off!"

"I...I had no part of that. I was imprisoned in the graveyard." I can easily tell that Nepgear is feeling rather apprehensive in face of Katsuo's anger here and I can sympathize a bit. Although it didn't happen often since he rarely shows his aggression to me directly, it is scary to see how angry this guy can be.

"I don't give a crap Nepgear!" Katsuo exclaims in anger before looking toward me with a sad frown "Karen, we've been letting this world divide us for too long now. We've been working together since SAO's beta testing over four years ago. I was likely some random player to you and yet you went out of your way to help me. You saved my life so many times and yet we were blinded by the desire to get home."

"I'm not interested in semantics right now Katsuo. You all must know that I'm rather goal-oriented and my approach to solving problems."

"You always try to accomplish your plan with as few risks as possible, yet you have little qualm putting yourself in severe danger." Mamoru says as his facial expression clearly shows that he's delving into nostalgia.

"Exactly."

"Nepgear, we're done. We'll still fight ASIC since we don't ignore injustice, but we're done helping you. From now, we're doing things our way. Are you with me guys?"

Kazuto and Mamoru easily nod in agreement, Shino thought about it for a moment and nodded though Yuuki seemed rather hesitant about something but nodded regardless

"Fine. Do what you want." Nepgear was rather dejected when she said this and the way she walked further away from the area proved it.

After I saw her leave, I look around and notice a chain around Mamoru's neck

"Mamoru, I never really had the desire to ask, but after so much time, I feel compelled to ask. Is that a necklace you're wearing?"

"Eh?" Mamoru blinks once and looks at his neck and pulls out a pure black colored pocket watch that is connected to a chain "Oh. This is just an old family heirloom. If my father was telling the truth, it's an ancient 12th century artifact valued by my family for generations."

"Twelfth century? This thing looks freaking new! How was your family able to maintain something this old for this long?! We're in the twenty first century, so your family kept this thing working and in good shape for atleast nine centuries! How is that possible?!"

"I have no idea. Truthfully, keeping this thing maintained is a family tradition; it's as sacred as our promises, if not more."

I take a closer look at the pocket watch and notice a rather intricate design I've never seen before and while I was never a history major, I don't recall learning of anything that had a design like that. Furthermore, history says that the first pocket watch was made in sixteenth century Europe, yet Mamoru's family had something that wasn't made for another couple of centuries? Strange.

"I'm returning to my group. I have things I need to do."

After saying this, I walk off to rejoin Miyo and the others so I can plan a strategy for the last Mascot.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [8:30] November 23rd 20XX

Location: [Leanbox]

After eight days full of unending strife between our three groups, we've finally arrived in Leanbox and we've gone our separate ways. Because of the fact that Chika ordered the fast-travel network shut down, we've become suspicious of the matter and we agreed to investigate. It took us a while to find the building since Green Heart apparently didn't make the Basilicom as extravagant compared to the other nations.

"Karen, this is Leanbox's Basilicom, home of Leanbox's CPU: Green Heart. We're getting our answers for the hell she put us through." Filia says to me as she leads the way into the building.

When we enter the building, I notice a woman with long light green hair and red eyes wearing a black mini-dress with green being the secondary color of her wardrobe

"Welcome to the Basilicom. I'm- What in the world?!"

It became rather clear to me that this woman is actually Linda when she broke character at the sight of us

"Linda. I'd say I'm surprised to see you, but I'd be lying." I simply sigh since she is not a threat to me in the absolute least at this point. I've been here six months and been training a good deal so fighting her would be a cake-walk. And let's not forget I have Miyo, Izumi, Filia, RED, Gust, Rom, and Ram backing me up; it'd be eight against one. I truly believe she's not stupid enough to fight me against such odds.

"Err...I'm guessing you're here for the Mascot."

"That's right. Hand it over." Filia says with a rather down to business tone in her voice.

"I can't. I need to save face here. But trust me when I say I want to, but the former Oracle was stupid to stake the Mascot as a first place prize in an idol competition. I don't want some random fool to get it." Apparently Linda hasn't been told of our defection from ASIC since she basically said she would've given us the Mascot without any kind of discussion had she have the capability.

"An...idol competition. Okay, I've seen strange things in this world, but this is borderline stupidity!"

"No kidding. But as stupid as she was for making the Mascot a prize for some random idiot winner, she was smart enough to close all loopholes. I can't even rig it if I wanted to."

"Okay Linda, I want to ask: Where is the real Oracle?" I inquire, wanting to know where the real Chika is for later on.

"We're keeping her locked up in Gapain Field until after the competition. The fool woman broadcasted to the world about this contest and people are trying to get here in droves for the contest. It's why I shut down the fast-travel network and organized the lockdown when the ships came pouring in. To minimize the risks."

"Okay, when is this competition?" Miyo asks as she deeply sighs and puts her around her waist.

"Next week."

"Thanks." I say as I beckon the others to follow my lead out of the building.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:00] November 23rd 20XX

After getting the update from Linda, we left the Basilicom to begin deliberating our next move since we need to wait a week to get this Mascot

"Okay, how should we proceed from here?" Filia inquires as she takes the lead in this discussion.

"It's rather obvious Filia. We need to get people in this competition so we can win that Mascot. Thing is though, I can only see Rom, Ram, Izumi, and RED being capable of this. I have not sung once in my entire life; Filia may be good with dancing but I've heard her sing and while it's okay, it's not exactly something I'd recommend having in a contest this serious; Gust, not to insult, but you just can't handle such a thing, and Karen…"

"I know Miyo. I'm not into singing and dancing; it's too girly for my liking." I say as I stop Miyo there, knowing that's what she was going to say.

"Yeah. I do know someone who can help when it comes to this kind of thing. I know where she lives. If you pass my name to her, she should help you all; I built her gear for her after all." Miyo pulls out a small notepad and passes it to Izumi. After looking through it, she beckons Rom, Ram, and RED to follow leaving me, Filia, Miyo, and Gust here.

"Gust wish to meet with contacts to exchange products. Gust will take leave here. Will rejoin before competition. Farewell." Gust says with her eager for business tone as she runs off, leaving the three of us now.

"I actually want to see how my father is doing. Do you two want to accompany me?"

"Are you sure? Wouldn't you want to go alone?" I ask since I wouldn't want to barge in on a precious family moment.

"It's hardly an issue Karen. Besides, I don't want to force you two to be on your own."

"Okay, but how do we get to your family's house? It's pretty far from here. I know that first-hand."

"We can thank the real Chika for that. She didn't really like how restrictive the fast-travel system was so she's been developing a new system called Project Astronema over the last three years. Thing is, it's not ready for widespread use yet. There are still a few bugs in the software calibration since it sometimes doesn't send you where you want to go the first time, but it still works for the most part. My parents live near Hero City and there's a hub there. Follow me."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [13:00] November 23rd 20XX

After taking the teleport hub from the capital to Hero City and walking to Filia's parents' house, we see a rather rustic two floored house made of wood

"This is the place. Feels like I haven't been here in forever." Filia takes a deep breath and knocks on the door to the house.

A minute later, the door opens and an elderly woman who looks just like Filia, albeit with graying hair, walking with a crutch is standing in front of us all

"Filia! I'm glad you've come back. You've been gone so long now." The woman says in an ecstatic tone as she hugs Filia.

"That it has mom. Is dad feeling any better?" Filia returns the hug and she asks her question with a mild frown on her face, wanting to hear how her father is faring.

"Unfortunately no. The poison in his veins took effect far too fast. His biology enhanced the poison and made it far more lethal than normal. I called for a doctor and he said there's no chance of recovery. He swore to fight it for as long as he could. He wants to see you before he goes."

"Goddess." Filia mumbles as she dashes inside with a rather despondent frown, far more sincere than a moment ago.

"Is he really dying Mrs. Yuasa?" Miyo asks with an understandable degree of unease.

"I wish it weren't so, but it's an unchangeable fact. I think that if Driin was among his people he could have made it, but I'm not a seer, so I'm merely speculating. But let's not stay out here. I have some Jasmine tea brewing."

"Thank you for the offer."

We walk into the house and look around the wood walls and Filia's mother quickly brings a pot of tea for us, with Miyo quickly helping when she realized the situation.

"You didn't need to go through all that effort Mrs. Yuasa. I would've gone to get it if you asked."

"I can't ask such things of our guests. I am the host and I have to attend to the needs of my guests." She says as she pours tea for the three of us "Now, are you two Filia's friends?"

"I suppose you could say that. We've been working together for a while. I don't want to say more than that however." I say rather honestly and while it's vague, I can't make myself any clearer than that without talking about my mission regarding ASIC; and I don't want to make a mother worry for her daughter.

However, my desire to hide that fact apparently failed as I hear a small chuckle from her

"I know that Filia has gotten herself wrapped in trouble once again. That girl may look like how I was when I was her age but she takes after her father. Driin was such a gentle soul but he was beyond stubborn and eager to fight his enemies. I honestly blame Thraaklon for instilling that mindset in him but I thank him nonetheless. But let us put this aside for now. May I ask for your names?"

"I'm Karen Koizumi. Pleased to meet you."

"Miyo Hanari. I'm glad to see you again after six years."

"Little Miyo? Oh my, you certainly have grown since you were last here. My name is Cassandra Yuasa. Pleased to meet you as well Karen Koizumi."

"Hehe...Thank you. I'm still growing though." Miyo chuckles a little awkwardly before she takes a deep breath to calm down and takes a drink of tea.

"Anyway; Karen, I want to ask. Are you-"

"Yeah. I'm like Miyo, Driin, and Thraaklon. I'm not native to this world."

"I see. It's quite tragic having to go through the experience of being stranded in this world. While he tried to never let me see him like that, he did pine for his family back in his own world."

"Yeah. I can imagine. Each and every one of us has been abducted from our friends and family and thrown into this world. A part of me is just glad some of my friends are in this world with me, but I still have many friends I'm separated from." It's quite true that while I'm glad to have Katsuo and the others around, I do miss Hikaru, Sylvia, Kana, Asuna; everyone else still on Earth.

"To be frank, there is a lesson I wish people like me would learn since we divide ourselves too much. While I don't know how to express it well, but we need to learn to see each other as family or something. We won't really be able to improve our lot in life here if we hide in seclusion."

"Er, you'll need to explain this one to me Miyo. You're not being very concise."

"I want to have a home built for us. A haven where we can live in peace and achieve the dream Thraaklon had for his apprentices. He wanted us to be united and pool our collective knowledge. If anything, I feel like he desperately wanted to return home to his world, but he had no capability to; so he wanted to gather people to coordinate their experiences into knowledge and break the curse, so to speak. But considering how many years have passed and how many people he has trained with no luck; he may have given up at some point. However, my desire to create a haven is only the first step and to alleviate the negativity isolation has caused us all; my ultimate plan is finding a way out of this world for good, to ensure that people who find themselves stranded here will have a way to return. I spent a decade in this place and I find it far too long. Izumi has been here six years now. Garrus and Wrex have been here twelve years. Driin has been here forty six years; Spark has been here twenty eight. Too many good men and women are being forcibly imprisoned in this world and are dying within it. I want to end this hell for Thraaklon. For Spark. For everyone who have spent their entire lives trapped here." Miyo is rather impassioned when she made this speech, and it makes me think that if she was in Aincrad, she'd make a better Solaris than I was. While I did get better with the speeches over time and practice with the ALF, this girl is a natural considering her technological background and I wonder how well the players there would've fared with her speeches leading the charge of battle.

"Wow. Just wow. I thought my speeches were impressive and I've had people affiliated with military backgrounds teaching me this stuff. We're supposed to be natural at this stuff." I say since I truly am impressed with this new side of her.

"Well I had to fight for survival for a decade; that demands a certain quality out of a person. I worked independently after Thraaklon died and my cybernetics did help reduce the need for food, water and the like for a long time."

"You really are a tough nut Miyo. I can't think of any child who could handle what you've lived with and have your level of sanity."

"To each his own Karen." Miyo simply shrugs and drinks more of the tea in her cup.

* * *

We would've continued this discussion but Filia walked out of a side-room where her father apparently is

"Karen, Miyo; my father wants to talk to you two. I'd move fast." Filia says with a mild frown as she sits down at the table and pours a cup of tea for herself.

We get up from our seats and walk into the room where Driin apparently is; finding a lizardman with a pale green tint all over his scaly skin

"So you two are Filia's comrades? Karen Koizumi and Miyo Hanari? Who's who?" Driin's voice is a voice I've expected a lizardman to have based on the few games and animes that had them I've experienced during my life.

"I'm Karen, and this is Miyo." I explain rather quickly; apparently Filia told him our names but not our appearances.

"Ah. Normally I'd say I'd take note of that in the future, but I'm on my deathbed so I'm not going to waste my time."

"Wow, that's a bit blunt Driin."

"I've been alive nearly eighty years Miyo Hanari, and I spent forty six years here. I have the right to be blunt when talking with younglings like you."

"Is there a reason why you want to talk with us? Or do you just want to throw insults our way?"

"I have a reason. Filia told me that you had your training with Thraaklon prematurely end after only six months Miyo Hanari; and no training at all Karen Koizumi. I spent a great number of years fighting with my own style. I'm on my death bed and I don't want my signature style dying with me. I want it to live through a new warrior. Which weapon styles do you work with?"

"I started with a spear but I've moved on to heavy one-handed broadswords. Your daughter has been helping me train."

"Since my cybernetics went kaput, I changed to a light rapier. Before that, I used very heavy carbines and flamberge swords."

"Okay, based on that; you're better suited Karen Koizumi. Ever since I entered this world, I've used massive weapons with heavy weight. Speed was never my forte so I put great value on my strength to compensate. However, strength alone is incapable of slaying your enemies so other attributes must be put in place. I developed a style that allows me to strike with the force of a glacier yet be able to gracefully evade any attacks. Thing is, it takes twenty years to learn this style conventionally."

"Er...Driin, you don't have twenty years to teach me this. You're dying _now_. How am I expected to learn a whole style with so little time?"

"My species has a genetic ability that allows us to impart knowledge to others, though it's not a convenient ability. Depending on how much we impart it could take days, weeks, or sometimes even months for your mind to safely process the information. The fact I am committing a style of fighting that requires twenty years of learning requires weeks of careful processing. Do you want to go through this Karen Koizumi?"

"I've been through worse. Give it your best shot." I boldly declare as I know that receiving a surge of information at a moment's notice surely can't be worse than death, and I lived that hell already after the Gamindustri Graveyard; Judge did succeed in killing me and I'm alive only because Caelus saved me.

"Very well. In order to impart my knowledge to you, I need to establish a link with your temporal lobe of your mind. I don't know a clear way to find it, but a single touch to your forehead should be sufficient to transmit the necessary knowledge."

"Before we do this, I'm curious: Why teach me this style and not your daughter?"

"It wouldn't work. She works with a durandal sword and it's weight is like that of a rapier. In order to use this style, you need to wield large, heavy weapons. You're the best candidate considering the circumstances."

* * *

After finishing this statement, he gently pressed the tip of his index finger to my forehead enough to not scratch my skin and immediately afterward, I feel a massive swarm of images flow through my mind in seconds

"Ugh...that was disorienting." I mumble as I grip my head though my legs feel woozy and I fall to my knees.

"Woah, you okay Karen?" Miyo worriedly asks me as she helps me up.

"Yeah. I'm fine, just a bit shaken up from the sudden influx of info."

"Yeah. That happens sometimes, especially when you're new to the experience." Driin explains before he rapidly coughs and closes his eyes "That's definitely the nail in the coffin. I've been fighting too damn long when I should be dead. Karen Koizumi, I am trusting you with this. Best of-" He was cut off by a rather noticeable croak and his head tilted to his right.

"First Thraaklon, then Spark, and now Driin. See, this is what I freaking hate. We keep driving ourselves into isolation and die alone. That's why I want a place for us all to call home; so we'll atleast have comrades to call family. I want to be able to give the imprisoned a way home to their own world."

"Miyo, I wanted to ask, but you mentioned a Wrex and Garrus before. Who are they?"

"They're like me; people stranded with little warning. They were being trained by Thraaklon before he died and they were lucky, they had two years compared to my six months. I haven't heard from them in a decade, so I don't know if they're still alive. While Wrex terrified me when I was a child because of his appearance, Garrus was always kind to me. He tended to act like a parental figure to me somewhat."

"**Well**...**that was fairly pessimistic. Second person I've ever met from a stray world and he dies within minutes.**"

"Is it that much of a surprise Caelus?"

"**Karen, up until recently I never knew about this whole other world thing. Back when Thraaklon showed up, we were all led to believe that he had simply arrived from a different continent far beyond the ocean. I only learned of this thing in earnest when we met you Miyo.**"

"Actually, now that we're talking, I've been wanting to ask you something Caelus. You told me that CPUs are supposed to establish their own nations. Are CPUs supposed to do this instantaneously?"

"**No. There's a grace period though most CPUs rarely spend more than a month in establishing a nation, but that was in the old days. Good luck trying to find land to colonize on this continent though.**"

"I'm going to hold back on that. I need to see to it that ASIC is dismantled first."

"**Fair enough. That is a goal we all share. I've been wanting to see ASIC's destruction for a very long time now. Arfoire...I will kill you this time!**"

"Arfoire?"

"**Arfoire is ASIC's Guardian Deity. The individual they are trying to revive. My sisters and I fought to slay her but failed; my success was limited to sealing her within a pocket dimension and pray that she is slain in the future.**"

"Yeah. Trust me Caelus, we're going to defeat ASIC this time. Once I set my mind to something, I don't stop until it's completed."

"**Thank you.**"

"Miyo, what do you think we should do now?"

"Let's go rescue Chika. Linda did tell us where she is after all."

"We should be careful if we do that Miyo. We're up against ASIC in this regard. I'd feel more comfortable having back-up on this one since Izumi, RED, Gust, Rom, and Ram are busy and I don't want to drag Filia with us here. We ought to give her a chance to spend time with her mother and mourn the death of her father."

"Then who in the world do we ask? Izumi's subgroup need all the practice they can get for the competition and Gust won't be joining us any time soon."

"How about we reach out for Katsuo's group? It'll likely be a little awkward working with them, but they do trust me."

"Fair enough. Let's go find them after we explain things to Filia and see if we can recruit them."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [16:30] November 23rd 20XX

Location: [Leanbox Fields]

It took quite a while to find Katsuo's group and while we were able to easily request their aid, Katsuo had a single condition if I wanted him to help

"Karen, things have been far too stressful the last six months and we've let ourselves become too emotional. We need to vent this excess and I know the perfect thing." After stating this, Katsuo pulled his sword out of his sheath and points it toward me

"I see. A test of arms to understand one another. Very well." I say with a firm smile as I look toward Yuuki "Yuuki, could I borrow Arctia or Anduril? I don't want to cheat by using Celeste's magic. I want a fair contest to see how we fare in battle."

Yuuki quickly obliges as she passes me Anduril and unlike before when I tried using it in Planeptune, it is not heavy for me in the slightest. I'm thankful now that Filia has been training me so much in addition to my own training regimes. I see a faint smile on Katsuo's face as I take up the style I saw Sylvia use frequently during our time in Aincrad.

"You know Karen, this is the first time we've ever been in confrontation like this. We bickered on occasion yes, but never full-out battle."

"Indeed. It has been nearly six years since we met, and despite our combat background in the virtual worlds, we have never fought against each other. However, I know that you would've won before we came to this world. Now, it is up for debate, but we'll get our answer here."

"Yeah. This is our chance to see who has become the stronger warrior." Katsuo says as he develops a serious expression like he always does when he enters battle and lets out a battle roar as he charges toward me.

I charge forward as well and both of our swords repeatedly clash as the sound of metal ringing is drowning out the noise of nature around us since we are striking at a rather rapid speed. Unlike Filia who was simply training me, Katsuo is going all out and using all of the athletic ability he has to win this spar and I'm being forced to respond in kind since I refuse to lose either. However, we're stuck in a stalemate since our combat capabilities are practically equal right now though I try to break the stalemate by attacking with a jump and a 360 degree spin though Katsuo obviously saw it coming as he easily blocked the attack with his sword

"Nice try!" Katsuo exclaims as his attack forces me to jump back 'It's time I end this now! Noble flame of the heavens, set my enemy aflame! Magma Eclipse!"

After Katsuo shouted out the incantation for the skill, his sword transforms in a rather drastic manner: The blade itself appears to be nothing but fire, there is a pair of arms which appears to be blocking the fire from hurting him and the handle has lengthened significantly to further handle the fire.

"So you're using skills eh? Fine then! Mirror!" I retort amusedly as I activate the newest skill this gauntlet made for me and the fact it lacks an incantation is part of the skill; it simply takes the effect of the skill I'm confronted with, but it has flaws. I can only use this skill once a day and I can only ideally use this skill in one on one combat.

After I activated mirror, Anduril is enveloped with a beam of light and her appearance becomes identical to Katsuo's sword in every way and when we clash, several pillars of fire erupt from the swords and they hit the fields surrounding us and I can glance the others dodging them since the fire nearly hit them. I can easily tell that Katsuo is panting out of exhaustion though I'm just as exhausted as he is at this current moment though I'm hiding it.

"I...I am not...giving up." Katsuo says with heavy pants and I easily can tell that he's having trouble staying up though I'm in the same state.

"Neither...am...I." I say though my body speaks otherwise as I fall to my knees, depending on Anduril to keep me from falling on my face.

"Okay you two, stop here before you kill each other or worse, us." Mamoru chuckles as he bonks both of our heads, though considering how exhausted we are and since our heads are still reeling from the battle so this playful bonk is more painful than it should be.

"Okay, let's hurry to Gapain Field. We need to save Chika ASAP. I'll lead the way."

"And what about Karen and Katsuo? I sincerely doubt they're ready for battle after that brawl." Yuuki nervously asks as I pass Anduril back to her.

"No way are you leaving me out. I'm a goddess and I'm not going to back out just because of exhaustion."

"Karen, remember that you only have faith from seven people, you don't have enough power to go commando on us. And to be frank, I'm not sure if Rom and Ram even count when it comes to the whole faith thing, and if so, it's only five." Miyo says rather sternly to me though I can easily sense the concern in her voice.

"I'll push on. I'm a goddess and I need to begin acting like one. I need to be able to handle anything. Even if I weren't a goddess, I need to do this; my old reputation as Solaris is telling me to."

"Heh, that really stirs up nostalgia of the old days in Aincrad. I don't exactly think of floor ninety nine as a pleasant memory but it's important to me nonetheless. I never truly expected to survive the fight since Kayaba made me betray you, but you got everyone to spare me. I've been indebted to you ever since Karen."

"Yeah, some of the people of that team wanted you dead because of what happened. But they begrudgingly kept it to mere murmurs when I gave my decision for you to live. I was leader of one of Aincrad's strongest teams and leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath after Kayaba transferred it to me so they kept quiet because of my track record and reputation."

"I'm not surprised. But you scared the hell out of me at the time Kazuto. You literally had your sword a centimeter away from my neck."

"You were the boss for that floor. I didn't have a choice in the matter, but you were lucky that you had the authority to force the door open. I would've killed you if you didn't."

"Yeah, I'm thankful I was able to do that. I didn't want to have to die right when we were at the end, not when Hector and Amelia wanted me protecting Haruka. To be truthfully honest, I was scared as hell when we began blazing through Aincrad after XANA showed up. I didn't want that battle to happen and when it did, I was in a really bad position; but you know the rest."

"Wow, I certainly didn't expect this from you all. You all seem rather close yet you were willing to kill each other in the past?"

"It's not like that Miyo; we're still good friends, but like most, we have had rough patches in our friendship and bickered about things. C'mon, let's get moving. We need to rescue Chika after all." Kazuto explains as he offers his hand to Katsuo since he's still on his knees and then we set out to the nearest teleport hub to head to Gapain Field.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I am rather confident that this first arc will be finished at chapter 16. Once that chapter is finished, I will be going back to third person narration and staying that way for all my future stories.


	15. Chapter 14: CPU Evolution

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [18:00] November 23rd 20XX

Location: [Gapain Field]

* * *

After Katsuo and I had our first real spar, we unanimously agreed to depart to Gapain Field to find the real Oracle and perhaps the Mascot Character, since Miyo brought up something she thought of just a little while ago

"Karen, to be honest; while I have my doubt considering Linda's capabilities, I can't help but feel suspicious about all this. Even the lowest of peons is capable of deceiving her enemy, and sometimes it's easy for people like her."

"While I doubt she's capable of such a thing, I get your point here Miyo. We should keep an eye open nonetheless."

"Miyo, if what you say is true; we should consider the possibility of Chika not being here."

"I agree with Shino on this one. While I don't believe you are leading us into it, I am concerned that we are walking into a trap."

"Relax Yuuki; we don't need to worry about anything bad happening as long as we work together. We've come this far after all." Katsuo proudly proclaims as he tries to reassure her.

"Ya, you're right. I mean, after everything you've been through, I imagine it's impossible for you guys to fall in battle if you truly try."

After this warning, we wander through the field, keeping our eyes open on the surroundings while we fighting the monsters in our way, though it's getting hard to see since we're in the winter season and therefore; the night comes far earlier than usual. But what is truly odd is that despite the fact it clearly is that time of year where there's not as much sunlight compared to night, the temperature feels like a modest seventy five or so; much better than Lowee since it was freezing cold. Clearly Gamindustri's laws of physics are drastically different from Earth since the climates appear anchored to specific areas instead of what exists on Earth. Though when we reach the end of the dungeon, we find no trace of Chika since we searched every nook and cranny which practically confirmed Miyo's theory about Linda lying to us.

"Well, you were right Miyo. Linda lied to us; Chika isn't here." I groan rather irritably as I then begin racking my head to think of where ASIC would hide the Oracle.

However, my thoughts are cut short when I suddenly see a huge magic circle appear from under us and Miyo instantly pushed me out of its radius and when I regain my senses from this sudden shock, I see that everyone apparently has been turned into stone statues. Seeing the sight of my friends petrified like this is rather horrifying since their expressions are all terrified. Miyo's statue in particular scares me a bit since her right arm is extended toward me.

"Miyo! Everyone!" I exclaim in horror since I know that Miyo practically sacrificed herself to save me from this petrification magic.

"Hahaha. I can't believe you actually fell for such an obvious trap, especially when you no longer work for us." I turn around to see Magic float toward me, scythe drawn as if she's ready to fight or even kill me.

"Magic, I won't let you get away with this!" I scowl as I draw Celeste to prepare myself for battle against this de facto leader of ASIC.

"How foolish, even if ASIC's faith has been weakened, I am still far more powerful than you are; and to prove my point" Magic mockingly laughs at me and she then extends her right arm and I feel a sensation similar to lightning course through my body and the pain is outright unbearable for me to handle beyond a couple of seconds and I fall to my knees in pain, Celeste being the only thing keeping me from falling to the ground itself "How pitiful. I expected a Console Patron Unit to be stronger than this."

Because of all of the pain I'm experiencing, it's taking all the strength I have to stay conscious, and I regret it somewhat as I see my friends suddenly vanish from where they were before

"What did you do Magic?!" I demand though I shout in pain immediately afterward since she is still torturing me with this lightning sensation.

"They now lie in the Gamindustri Graveyard, but you needn't worry since your life is forfeit."

"Not on your damn life. I will not let you kill me!" I proclaim proudly and I then remember Filia telling me often that anger is a weapon only for one's opponent, and that's rather universal. If I fight Magic if I'm this pissed off, I'll certainly lose the battle and my life. Even though I feel like I'm dying from all this pain, I do my utmost best to shrug it off and stand so I can fight or I'll die no matter what.

"You sure talk big, but it is meaningless. I fought five CPUs that fought me at once alone and I emerged victorious; you do not stand a chance. Don't forget that they were all far more powerful than you."

"I...am...human. We never...give up, no matter what obstacle...stands in our way!" I strongly scowl in face of what Magic said though it's taking all the willpower I have just to stand.

"That's what sickens me the most. You have died once already, so suffer the agony of death once again!"

* * *

Right when Magic would've struck me with her scythe, she is hit by what appears to be a beam of light which sends her flying against a far off tree. I quickly look in the direction the beam came from and see a girl with orange hair looped in a frail circle, almost like a ribbon, but the rest of her hair flows out in the front. I notice an unusual metallic headpiece in her hair, which I presume is what's keeping her hair like that. She's wearing a bodysuit colored white and orange, with what appears to be a blue undershirt or something at her torso, though her legs are utterly exposed. She also has something resembling a tiny buckler shield on her left arm though I can't figure what purpose it has, if it has one. Her eyes are light blue though the design is what fascinates me the most: It's the same design that Nepgear, Uni, Rom, and Ram have when they engage their HDD, so this girl is a Goddess too? She quickly dashes toward me and helps me up from how I was face-first on the ground from the torture Magic inflicted on me.

"Are you okay?" The girl worriedly asks me as she quickly equips a pair of bracers and lightly hops in sequence, keeping herself mobile in preparation for a renewal of battle.

"Yeah...but I wish you came earlier ya know." I groan rather irritably, since I hoped she would've come before the others got petrified.

"**No way...Uzume! You're alive?!**" Caelus exclaims when she heard this CPU talk to me. Considering that this girl is obviously a CPU considering her appearance, is she perhaps one of her little sisters?

"Eh? Cae? It's good to see you again!" The girl yelped and practically throttled me though when she glances at me she blinks in confusion "Huh? You don't look like Cae."

"**Uzume, this girl is my avatar. I merged my life with her's to save us both. In a manner of speaking, I have sacrificed my corporeal form but I am not unhappy about the situation. But how did you survive the battle against Arfoire so long ago?!**"

"I was forced into the dimensional void during the battle because of a spell casted by ASIC's followers and I've been stuck there, incapable of aging, but I thankfully avoided going mad since I was asleep all that time, also in meditation. I was awakened by someone called Croire and she told me that I had a greater purpose back among the living, so she brought me back here. I'll give my full story once we're safe. Here, let me lend you a hand, then leave this to me."

When she finishes this, she quickly helps me up. Afterwards, Uzume dashes toward Magic, who has recovered and re-engages her battle with us. When Magic attempted to slash at her with her scythe, Uzume acrobatically dodged the attack by jumping over Magic and a rapid series of kicks quickly followed suite, which is obviously irritating her considering the anger on her face. I have to say, I am impressed by what I'm seeing here since I've never seen anyone _this_ acrobatic since Magic herself is rather fast and is trying to strike against her to no avail, but I can tell that Uzume's attacks barely have any strength to them, the attacks being more irritating than harmful to her. However, Magic quickly forces her back and teleports away, to my extreme displeasure since she's taken my friends.

"Damn it!" I snarl as I punch the ground in anger, knowing that my friends have been abducted by ASIC. I quickly notice that my punch had injured it rather severely as it cut open a bit of skin, letting blood flow out.

"Were the people taken close to you?" Uzume asks me as she hovers her hands over my injured one with a bright silver glow and the skin over my hand appears to be painlessly stitched together "Thank goodness that's the only injury you have. Nearly all of my power has been drained during my long sleep and the eviction Croire forced on me, so I can't use any stronger magic right now."

"You have my thanks regardless Uzume. But to answer your question: very. While I've only known Miyo, Yuuki, and Shino a few months; I've known the others nearly five years."

"**Uzume, how are you able to maintain your goddess form with no shares?**"

"Thing is Cae; my human form was er...'disconnected' during my long sleep. As far as I know, I'm stuck in this form for good."

"**But we need shares to maintain our CPU form and if your human half is disconnected like you say, how are you even alive without faith?**"

"You can thank Croire for that one. She enchanted the gem on my torso with a spell that cut my dependence for shares, though she said it wasn't for my benefit; she did it because she wanted to see a lot of fun. And my being alive apparently fulfilled that. But I'm not complaining; I mean, I get to see my big sister again!" Uzume explains before tackling me again to hug me and nuzzles against my cheek, though thankfully, she didn't knock me to the ground.

"_Caelus._" I would poke fun at this nickname she seems to have, but I'm too annoyed over how my friends were taken to do so. And then there's the fact I have some girl I don't know all over me.

"_**Karen, look; just let her have her moment alright? She adored me back in the day and she's spent so long trapped in nothingness. Look, it's not like how RED or Izumi would do it. The girl is simply pining for her older sister. Please, I want to ask this of you as a favor. Just, play along.**_"

"_Very well. But er, play along how?_"

"_**Just let her vent the pent up feelings she has. She'll calm down when she lets it all out.**_"

After a few more minutes pass of her nuzzling against me, she finally eases up and steps back a little bit.

"Okay then, let's get moving. We're burning moonlight."

"Go where?" I actually lost track of the conversation between me and Uzume since I was communicating with Caelus.

"Ain't it obvious? We're going to save your friends of course."

"**Uzume, no. You're not doing that. ASIC is too strong for any one person to defeat, even you. You must remember the old days right? We all fell against ASIC. Remember how Eris, Corrine, and Manila fell? I saw their… Look, as your older sister, don't throw yourself in such dangerous battle again. I can't stand losing family.**"

"Huh. So ASIC is as strong as before Cae? If so, I can see your wanting to stop me. Then how do we proceed? We do have a goal in mind that we need to finish."

"**We need to acquire the Mascot Character in this nation then we go to Planeptune to prepare for the assault in the Gamindustri Graveyard. Unfortunately, we're six people short of our full group. If Planeptune's CPU Candidate is even willing to cooperate with us, we'll only have thirteen people to attack; barely an eighth of the force that was used to rescue the captive CPUs three years ago. But I have some doubts that they will help us, and if that is the case, we will only have seven people; eight if you wish to help us.**"

"Can we shelf this for now? I want to return to the city, but at the same time; I don't want to see the others."

"**I understand why you're scared Karen, but we can't afford to hesitate. Think of it this way, we took losses, but we have regained another ancient CPU. Uzume and I know our enemy so that's a blessing.**"

"Right. Er, about that, Uzume, I need you to wear this if we're returning to Leanbox." I say as I pull out the robe Miyo gave me and pass it to Uzume. It's best that we hide the fact there's another CPU in this world for the time being, to avoid attracting attention and causing panic.

Uzume thankfully takes the robe without any questions and puts it on, which is hiding her appearance entirely aside from her face and thankfully the robe's enchantment apparently is hiding the computer power design in her eyes so her eyes are just regular blue.

"While this is way late, I think we should do a proper introduction. I'm Karen Koizumi, my divine name is Aqua Heart." I say as I offer my hand to Uzume for a handshake.

"I'm Uzume Tennoboshi and my divine name is Orange Heart, call me Uzume. Let us return to the city."

* * *

Chirper Events:

Lily Rank 3 - Karen, Uzume, Caelus

"So Karen, I want to ask. How did you come across my big sister?"

"Well, I'd like to say it was simple, but it really wasn't. About six months ago, I was asked by the Oracle of Planeptune: Histoire to rescue the CPUs in the Gamindustri Graveyard. I heard Caelus speak to me when I got to the halfway point asking for me to save her. Thing is; when my friends and I got to the end, we got attacked by one of the CFWs and it turned into a horrific fight...I was badly injured and I actually died when we got back to Planeptune."

"You died? But you're alive now."

"**It's because of how I merged my life with hers. Her vitals were dropping badly and I used my own life force to sustain hers until she recovered. Despite what I may have said, it was not pleasant sometimes. I barely had any strength remaining and I used what little I had keeping you alive; I was so weak, I was concerned I'd fail and we'd both die. When your vitals were stable, you still wouldn't recover and I was desperate. I shouted at you to get up because I would've died within an hour if you hadn't woken up.**"

"Wha- Caelus, if you had told me of that part, I wouldn't have resisted your intimidation attempt." Hearing that Caelus was that close to dying when she was desperately trying to keep us both alive, that's a strong blow against me.

"**I...I have said that I do not think things through sometimes. I didn't know what would happen if I told you I was dying. I was afraid so I lashed out since I hoped I could influence you to act if I threatened you.**"

"It was certainly rash, but I guess I understand your plight Caelus. Desperation forced your hand and we sometimes make decisions we later regret."

"**Exactly. I'm surprised you don't hate me after all that.**"

"Wow, this is surprising. Cae, I want to ask; were you conscious all this time?"

"**Unfortunately yes. My consciousness was limited, but I was fully aware all this time. I had no knowledge of the passage of time, but the recent battle between the CPUs and ASIC brought me to my senses somewhat and I hate myself for lacking the strength to manifest my corporeal form to help them. Next time will be different. We will bring the full fury of the five nations upon them and enact holy retribution. For Eris. For Corrine. For Manila. For everyone who died against ASIC.**"

"Wow, you certainly do feel strongly about all this Caelus."

"**Karen... ASIC killed just about everyone I ever cared for. My sisters, my people...I wanted them destroyed for everything they did to us. Arfoire tormented me by showing me the bodies of my sisters; mangled and heavily injured. It was gruesome to see. I want ASIC destroyed and I want to see their damnable leader's head on a pike!**"

"Cae…"

* * *

Back to story

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [22:30] November 23rd 20XX

Location: [Leanbox]

Even though I had an extremely heavy heart about what happened in Gapain Field since I had led them all into a trap, albeit unintentionally, and worse of all: Miyo knew something like this could happen to us and she still followed my lead to the end. That's what hurts me the most about all this. While I admire loyalty, it's a bit painful to witness someone willing to sacrifice themselves for that loyalty. Back in the day, I expected people to survive to the utmost end to the best of their ability since you can't help people if you die.

I wandered through the city's quieter districts since I never knew where Miyo sent Izumi, Rom, Ram, and RED to get trained by her contact and with Miyo abducted by ASIC, I have no idea where to go. After about an hour of searching, I see them rapidly approach me and I hide a severe groan under my breath since a part of me didn't want to see them, since Miyo was the one who connected us all, but I can't really hide it any longer since they're here.

"Karen, you finally got here, we've been looking for you for an hour now." Izumi says rather enthusiastically though she looks about with a mildly confused expression "Where's Miyo and Filia? And who's this?"

"This is Uzume Tennoboshi and er…" The introduction was the only part I was comfortable talking about at this current moment.

"**Miyo Hanari has been petrified and taken by ASIC. Karen's friends from her world have been taken as well. I do not wish to discuss the details, but Filia is safe; she just won't be here for a while; she had other priorities to take care of.**"

"Goddess. I'm not going to let them get away with this, but I know what would happen if we try to rush this. Even if we managed to save her and the others, we wouldn't leave unscathed. She'd be pissed too, so we need to do this 'right', not fast." Izumi scowls rather strongly when she hears of how Miyo and the others were taken by ASIC.

"_Right; not fast._" I mumble in my head and I feel like my own philosophies have been slowly changing when I was revived with Caelus' help without my being aware of it. While I'm not unhappy about my path since I got to meet Miyo, Izumi, Filia, and the others; I usually don't take such drastic changes when it comes to my plans since I learned that it would usually end with casualties and I lost trust from my friends doing this. We have the same goal here and this needs to end if I want to save them.

"It's getting late though, we should return to 5pb's place. She arranged a number of rooms at a high-class inn for us all and we were about to go find you to let you know. So let's go." Izumi says with a giddy smile as she dashes away, apparently eager to rest in this inn, and I don't blame her since we've been sleeping in tents for the better part of the last few months.

"Uh, go on ahead, I'll catch up later." I weakly say to the group since I need to get something settled straightaway.

"Are you sure Karen? You don't seem the type to do stuff like this." Ram quickly asks me though it stings hearing that so bluntly.

"Yes. Please."

"Ram, it's best if we not ask too many questions on this. Karen obviously needs a little time, so let's go to the inn and rest. And here you go Karen." RED says as she passes Miyo's notebook to me, with the address of the inn written on one of the pages "Izumi was a bit too childish so I decided to hold on to this for you guys since out of the four of us, I'm the most responsible."

"_Wow, this a damn good case of the pot calling the kettle black. And that's hardly freaking true, but then again, Izumi did take off; and since she's gone, RED technically is the most mature of that group of four in a manner of speaking, but there's a __**huge**_ _disparity there._"

After this internal monologue, the others leave to the inn leaving me and Uzume in this small area

"You're not going with them Uzume? Aren't you tired from everything you've gone through today? Particularly the forced exit from the dimensional void."

"I guess I am a little tired yeah, but I was born a goddess so I don't truly need to eat, drink, or sleep, but I'm still a living being and my body does feel like it needs food, water, and sleep sometimes. Besides, I have to prove myself to Cae."

"Prove yourself? What do you mean?"

"_**Urk...I thought she would've outgrown that. Karen, Uzume has a bit of an inferiority complex because of how, when I 'created' her; Eris, Corrine, Manila, and I had done so many reputable things. She desperately wanted to earn my favor since she wanted a place to belong in a family that had done many, many things before she was even born.**_"

"_She was born into a family where she had little to no chance to prove herself, especially to a sister she idolizes. Or perhaps in a way, no way to prove her life was worthwhile to her mother._"

"_A...mother. I'll be dead honest; I never saw myself as a parent since I created my sisters as what they were. I didn't need to raise them one bit._"

Since I was talking with Caelus, I only heard murmurs from Uzume but when I finished talking, I heard her say

"-And that's pretty much it Karen. Do what you need to do, and I'll support you. That is a promise from me: Orange Heart, former ruler of the nation of Astrocade."

"**And as the former ruler of Magnavox: Aqua Heart, you have my promise as well.**"

"Thank you Uzume, Caelus." I sincerely smile in response, though I can't help but feel a little concerned about that because of what happened not long ago, since loyalty had me experience my friends being held captive by ASIC before noticing what Caelus said "Wait...Aqua Heart? And Magnavox? I thought you ruled Planeptune?"

"**Well, yeah. You share the same Divine Name as me; we are the same being after all. And to be candid, while it's called Planeptune now, my nation was called Magnavox in the past, but I presume Histoire had it renamed over the course of time after Purple Heart or some other CPU was born.**"

"Yeah, I can understand that; it's happened a fair number of times in my world."

After this, I press a few buttons on my gauntlet to connect to the network Ophelia's gauntlets are wired to and I send a message to Nepgear, demanding a meeting within an hour outside the city.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [23:15] November 23rd 20XX

Location: [Leanbox - Outer Fields]

After I sent the message, I went to the same field where I had my spar with Katsuo and awaited Nepgear's arrival. I notice that the area still bears the marks of that confrontation since the grass is black and gray and I still see hints of flames scattered about. Thankfully, I didn't need to wait long since the entire group has come to meet us and to little surprise, Nepgear and IF are not eager to see me, though that hardly fazes at this point.

"What are you going to pull this time traitor?"

"I'm tired of this game IF. I'm not expecting you to just forgive and forget, but we have the same goal yet we're treating each other like bitter enemies. This needs to end if we want to save the CPUs. I propose we have one final battle to judge our future. If I win, we put this aside for good and work together. But if you win, you can do what you wish to me."

"You must be joking. Do you think that-" IF tries to say before be cutting off by Nepgear.

"I accept your condition. Know that I won't lose." Nepgear says with a defiant look as she steps forward with Uni in tow.

"Hold up! Nepgear, what are you doing?!"

"IF, just trust me. I won't lose to her."

"Access!" Nepgear and Uni exclaim in unison as they are enveloped in the beam of light that signifies the activation of HDD.

However, the clothing appears rather different from when I last saw them since the undershirt of Uni's armor is gone and is little more than a bikini-like bodysuit while Nepgear is also sporting a bikini form and instead of the white and lilac colors, the new outfit is black and purple, similar to what I saw Purple Heart wear back in the Graveyard.

"How scandalous; the CPU Candidates wearing such revealing clothing. If you'll play this card, I will too. Access!"

While I know I can barely maintain transformation, I hope it'll be enough to defeat these two.

"Karen, I won't let you fight these two alone. Allow me to jump in."

"Stay out of this. I don't want to fight civilians." Uni interjects rather seriously though Uzume chuckles in response.

"Ehehe, you think I'm a regular human like them?" Uzume laughs as she takes off the robe and gives it back to me, and I put in my inventory since I don't want it getting damaged.

With the robe removed, Uzume's appearance is revealed to the group and they all go wide-eyed at her revelation; and this time, she is showing wings which look like mine but far more robotic.

"A-Another CPU? Where do you find these people?!" IF exclaims, glancing at Uzume in her CPU form.

"How dare you address me so casually! I am the illustrious Orange Heart of Astrocade!" While Uzume clearly was trying to sound condescending and certainly had the tone for it, I know her history so I have to hold back the urge to laugh at it "Karen, I'll fight this rotten girl, you take care of pinkie there."

"_Wow. Caelus, is she being serious about this? Or is she playing around?_"

"_**I'm not even sure at this point. It's been a very long time since I've seen her, but if I'm right, I get a feeling it's a bit of both. Remember when I said she had no chance to prove herself in the old days. But listen, you don't have time to talk with me, you need to fight!**_"

* * *

After inaudibly nodding to Caelus, I leap into battle against Nepgear though her aura seems far more battle capable and her talent has also drastically improved; even with my goddess form boosting my abilities and Celeste's magic, Nepgear has become my equal or even better than me; and that naturally terrifies me since I don't want to lose this battle since my life could very well be at their mercy.

"_**Oh goddess! Even with all the power at your disposal, Nepgear appears to be capable of surpassing that with a mere change of her Processor Unit!**_"

"_Then can't I simply change mine to combat her sudden change?_" I inquire while I try fighting Nepgear, to little avail since she's blocking every one of my attacks.

"_**Easier said than done. You're using the Processor Unit I used back when I had my own body. It's obviously outdated compared to current technology, and it's not simple creating these things. Uzume likely has the same problem.**_"

Since Caelus practically confirmed that Nepgear is stronger than I am, I activate my Dark Saber though she grinned and her sword glowed when she struck me, and I found myself unable to activate the skill, as if it was utterly canceled.

"What the?! Why didn't it work?!"

"Ehehe; that's a new skill Ophelia's gauntlet made for me; it allows me to cancel enemy skills in action. Quite useful against _treacherous_ enemies." Nepgear's tone was uncharacteristically venomous when she said this and I gasp in horror at what Nepgear has in her arsenal. My skill with Celeste is practically useless against her since she has this new Processor Unit, I can't maintain goddess form long enough to present resistance to her, and she is capable of negating my skills, which might have been the only thing that could beat her.

"_No! I have nothing I can fight with her with!_"

Nepgear then activates her Celestial Severance and since it's far stronger in Goddess form, the skill sends me flying back and I hit the ground several times before I land on my stomach and I see my HDD disengage. I look toward Uzume and see her struggling against Uni just as much as I did against Nepgear and she gets blasted back toward me. I then see Nepgear and Uni approach and tower over our injured, defeated selves.

"I have been defeated and I will honor our bet. Do with me as you will." I say dejectedly, dismissing any hope I had of victory at this point.

"Karen, extend your right arm."

I really am confused on why she's asking for this but I lost so I have to do what she says. But the moment I do this, she runs her blade through my arm, which makes me shout extremely loudly in pain since I had my arm stabbed with extremely high-temperature laser weaponry and the extreme pain made me pass out the second she pulled her sword out.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [2:00] November 24th 20XX

Location: [?]

When I came to, I see Rom, Ram, Izumi, and Uzume using magic on my injured arm and I see the others around me with differing emotions of indifference, concern, and anger. I see Filia nearby sword drawn toward Nepgear and she has a few scars on her face which seems to have been healed a great deal. I can only imagine Filia found out what happened and took her anger out on Nepgear based on what I'm seeing.

"Damn it Karen; you should've told me that you were going to go find Chika. I would've helped."

"Filia, if you were there, you would've been taken by ASIC too. The fact you're here is better for everyone."

"I...I see that logic but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

I look toward my healers and they look remarkably discouraged as they continue trying to heal me

"Urk, sorry about this Karen, we've done the best we could, but you're not going to be able to use that arm for a week or perhaps even longer. Even the strongest regeneration magic is not strong enough to instantly heal injuries of this nature. Stitching wounds is one thing but healing bone takes quite a while." Izumi mutters as she covers my injured arm with a medical cast.

"Er, do any of you know what happened to my gauntlet?" I inquire since I didn't see it on my right arm before Izumi covered it.

"If I remember right, Miyo included a safety protocol in the latest upgrade. If it detected any degree of damage, it would instantaneously be sent to your inventory." Izumi says as she explains what happened in this regard.

"Now you know my pain Karen. Now we're on even footing and now we can work together. But know that my trust is not easily won back."

"Oh come on, you maim my arm and I still have to earn your trust?! _Ugh, fate is a damn cruel mistress._"

"That outcome is simply justice. You still haven't proved yourself in the absolute slightest."

"C'mon guys, let us give Karen time to recover." Uzume urges the others out of the room and she then turns around, sits on a chair near my bed, and looks toward me.

"You're not going to sleep Uzume?"

"Karen, I told you; I don't need sleep because of my origins. Besides, I wanted to ask you a few questions."

"Well I certainly have some of my own for you as well Uzume."

"Fair enough, let's keep it at three questions each max. You need to sleep after all."

There's a moment of silence since neither of us apparently knows who should go first so I decide to step up

"This is something I want to ask both you and Caelus. There is something I heard quite a while ago from Caelus when I was sick. She talked about Miyo's mentor, Thraaklon I think his name was. I heard he tore Caelus' nation apart a long time ago, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to ask about it."

"**Ugh, could you be any more blunt Karen?**"

"I wasn't exactly involved in that situation too much; Cae, Eri, and Rin fought him and the reconstruction process was led by me and Ila."

"**She speaks of myself and her other sisters: Eris, Corrine, and Manila, though she calls them Eri, Rin, and Ila, it's a little quirk she has. Eris and Corrine helped me fight Thraaklon when he was devastating my nation and when that ended after six months of fighting, Manila and Uzume sent their entire craftsmen guilds to help rebuild my nation, though it was a grueling five year task. That was just rebuilding the infrastructure, and it took over a decade to recolonize the frontier provinces when the reconstruction was completed. Thraaklon killed thousands of my people, and that's not easily replaced. Not a lot of my citizens wanted to leave the city and rough it out in the frontier so I had to set up a significant number of incentives and run it through Histoire since we were depending on imported food since our fields were devastated. I'm just thankful that my sisters were kind enough to ship their excess food at a greatly reduced price.**"

"Interesting."

"Okay, time for one of my questions. I heard Croire mention something about otherworldly figures when she reawakened me. What exactly was that about?"

"**Ugh, that was a real eye-opener for me when I found out. Apparently Thraaklon, Karen, and all of the mystery humanoids we have seen are all from different dimensions. For the longest time, we were led to believe they were from some far off continent beyond the ocean, but I was wrong.**"

"Yeah; Histoire took me and my friends from our world to defeat ASIC."

"That sounds utterly despicable. We CPUs should be the only ones handling matters of this scale; not forcing civilians into service."

"**Not that simple Uzume. I saw the four CPUs and Nepgear battle ASIC but they fell against CFW Magic, the woman you saved us from. I saw that your strength barely fazed her aside from that spell you used, but that didn't help much either. As strong as we were in the past, we need all the help we can get here until we can regain our strength, if that's even possible.**"

"We need new Processor Units Cae, we got beat by those Candidates too easily; it wounds me far too much."

"**Uzume, I just told Karen this. We don't have access to our resources as CPU to create Processor Units, and remember that we're both ancient CPUs; we have no idea in the slightest how to make top-grade level equipment.**"

"What about Histoire? While she was a bit conflicted, she has still helped us a fair amount without interfering with Nepgear. She's known about this CPU thing involving me for a while so do you think it's possible she had designed a set?"

"**Forgive me when I say that I severely doubt it. While Histoire may indeed be helping you now, there's no way she'd go out of her way to make you any stronger than you are now. She values the balance of power too much to let it escalate out of control. Fact is, we'll likely have to work on our own once we defeat ASIC. And realize that I'm talking about the Oracle who was once sworn to help rule my nation.**"

"Yeah, while I want to believe her, I can understand you on this. But why are you two so big on helping me?"

"**You insult us by asking. Our time has come and gone and yet we're still alive. We're both too outdated to establish nations again so we should attach ourselves to a CPU who has a legitimate chance to make it and offer guidance in the background.**"

"Okay, this has been going on too long now Cae; we need to let Karen sleep."

"Yeah, I really should." I mumble as I quickly let sleep take me since I've been fighting it since Uzume wanted to talk with me.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:00] November 24th 20XX

Location: [Leanbox]

After I got a fair amount of rest, I received a change of clothes that better suits Leanbox's temperatures with Uzume's help and when I look in a nearby mirror, I see my hair and eyes has turned a mint green, I'm wearing white colored evening gloves on my arms which goes up to my elbow although the right one is largely covered by my cast, a rather thin dress with horizontal line patterns with a light green color and white at front, there also appears to be something like a feather design at the top of my dress and around my neck. I also see a small cape around my lower waist and I'm wearing a pair of light boots that appear to have heels on the back, so I guess they qualify as high boots, but they're still rather short.

I heard that Izumi, RED, Rom, and Ram went with Miyo's contact: an idol called 5pb. and her bodyguard: Cave for their training, so that leaves me, Filia, Uzume, who is wearing the robe I gave back to her before we left our room, Nepgear, Uni, IF, Compa, and Nisa among us and according to Compa; Falcom has declined to travel to Leanbox with the group since she doesn't like boats and hence, she returned to Planeptune to await our arrival.

"I say we pay a visit to the 'Oracle'; she has hell to pay for what she did." Filia says as she cracks her knuckles and then looks toward me "Mind if I borrow your sword for a while?"

"Only if you tell me what you'll use it for."

"Intimidation, my sword's not menacing enough. And if she doesn't answer; well, let's just say that it'll be a repeat of the day we left Lastation." Filia says with a solemn expression.

"No. If I do this, you keep it at intimidating only. Linda's the only one who knows where Chika is and if anything happens, we won't be able to find her."

"I don't approve, but you're still my protege so I'll atleast try to go about this path." Filia says as she takes my sword sheath and walks toward the Basilicom.

We then follow her lead into the Basilicom and we notice Linda walk toward us even though she's still disguising herself as Chika; I can just tell by the way she carries herself and she apparently knew the same, or perhaps from my companions

"Welcome back Karen Koizumi; where are you friends?"

"Don't play games with me Linda; I know you set them up. Chika was not in Gapain Field at all. You have ten seconds to tell us where she is!" Filia snarls as she rapidly draws Celeste and points it toward Linda's neck, keeping it within centimeters of it and that clearly horrified based on the expression on her face.

"S-She's in Underverse! She's there, I swear! D-Don't kill me!"

Filia sheaths Celeste with a good degree of authority and simply looks in her direction "If you're lying, I'm coming back to finish the job. Know that."

Linda gulps in acknowledgement and Filia hands me my sword back as she calmly walks out of the building, though it left everyone awestruck. We follow suite and simply stop outside the building as we see Filia waiting for us at the teleport hub which lies in front of the Basilicom which coincidentally is at the heart of the city.

"What is wrong with that woman?" IF mumbles in mild horror, noting Filia's threat toward Linda.

"She's just unflappable. She got that attitude from her father, who is, or rather was, in the same situation as I was. Stranded in this foreign world."

"Was?" Compa inquires as she notes the negative tone of voice when I spoke of was

"He's dead. Died last night."

"Oh." Compa despondently responds when I talk about the fact Driin died.

"If you guys wouldn't mind, I'd like to talk to Karen privately about something. Go on ahead and we'll catch up."

After we see the others walk to the hub, Uzume walks in front of me and I can see an uneasy expression on her face

"Karen, I'm going to be blunt but...I'm worried."

"Worried about what?"

"Worried about you and Cae sharing a body. Cae, remember that we have no idea what happens to individuals that merge with CPUs in the long-term."

"Caelus?"

"**Urg...look um...I did say that this experience only happened one other time; well before my time. According to the stories, this CPU was severely wounded and about to die, and one of her followers offered herself as a vessel. Thing is, we never got a chance to see if there were side-effects since that CPU died a few days later. And it's not because of the bond; because of how faith in that CPU diminished because of her apparent death, her holy protection vanished and monsters were going to attack her capital. She sacrificed herself to save her people. I kept this concern to myself because I didn't wish to panic you but I had been monitoring your condition over the last few months. Thankfully, I only really noticed a slight deviation in thought patterns.**"

"Wh-Caelus! You should've mentioned this earlier!"

"**Karen, I had no damn idea what I had to look out for with this! Like it or not, you must know that nothing comes without a price and all research demands a price and unknown fields like this is never convenient for everyone. This doesn't happen enough to warrant anyone committing any degree of research to it, and I honestly don't want it to, so investigation must happen on an informal level. Listen, you're my avatar and my friend, if I noticed something grave happening, I would tell you right away, but the problem I saw was thought deviations, which is extremely minor compared to what could have happened. And you apparently caught on to that on your own and are trying to fix it.**"

"I...sorry Caelus. I didn't mean to lash out against you."

"**I am not offended. I suppose you could call it a perk; when you live a very long life, you learn to keep a level head...most of the time. In fact, in a way, I happen to like playing the role of spectator in your soul since it allows me to play the role of an advisor and guide hot-blooded youth.**"

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] November 24th 20XX

Location: [Underverse]

After getting the new bit of info from Linda, whether it's true or not, we left for the dungeon called Underverse which apparently is a volcanic dungeon and the temperature befits such a thing. If I hadn't changed my clothes before now, I am certain I would be sweating beyond belief. Because of how Nepgear practically melted some of the the bones in my arm, I can't use my sword arm, which means that I'm useless in battle so Uni said she'd stay close to me in case monsters try to attack me and she's a great help with her rifle since it keeps em from getting too close to me.

When we got our formation set up in preparation for battle in this dungeon, it was decided that Uzume, Nepgear, IF, Filia, and Nisa would be in the vanguard fighting while Compa and Uni would be fighting in the rear guard, supporting us from a distance. It sounds rather ideal and flawless, but when we actually had our first encounter with monsters, there were quite a few problems; particularly with our synergy since Uzume and Filia are not really shouting collaboration with the others at the top of their lungs and it's easy to tell that aside from Compa, Uni, and Nepgear a tiny bit, we hardly seem able to trust each other. Although we're technically working together, there's a major division with Uzume and Filia on one side, and IF and Nisa on the other; though I can tell that while Nepgear's trying to act as a balancer like Compa and Uni, she's favoring toward IF and Nisa, even if slightly.

"You doing okay Karen? What Nepgear did _was_ a bit out of line considering the circumstances. I thought she'd simply tell you off or something, not drive her sword through your arm like that." Uni worriedly asks me as she stares at my cast covered arm.

"I feel like I had it coming Uni. I betrayed her trust after all."

"There is something I've been wanting to ask you. For a while now, it seems as if you were testing Ge-Ge."

"Compa, you were there. You saw how powerful ASIC was when they decimated us. I nearly...no; I _did_ die fighting them and I'm alive only because Caelus saved my life. I don't want Nepgear or anyone going through that so I had to play a villain some to strengthen their resolve. After all, if you can bring yourself to hurt a friend, you can ideally fight your enemy with no problem. I usually try to avoid doing that, but I know that sometimes you can't avoid it." I explain with a heavy heart, as my mind recalls that horrifying day when we arrived in Gamindustri. Saying that it wasn't my finest hour is an understatement.

"Oh yeah. That was scary. I had no idea what we were thinking; thinking we could rescue Nep-Nep and the other CPUs with just six people. Even though we did get Ge-Ge, we nearly failed there. Hopefully we'll have better luck next time since we'll have more people helping."

"It'd better be. I lost my friends to this world, and I'm _going_ to get them back. No matter what." After I say this, I tightly clench my right hand and it makes me cringe since my arm hurts from that mere movement "Damn! That hurts more than I thought it would."

"Karen, take it easy before you make it worse. If you push yourself too hard, the regeneration magic will shatter and your arm won't heal."

"I know Uni; I couldn't help it." I groan as I try shrugging off the pain.

After this exchange of dialogue, we continued to proceed through this volcanic dungeon and I had to spend the whole time simply watching everyone battle since I'm not ambidextrous and can't use my left arm to handle Celeste even with that magic. Even though it lets me fight like a master, I doubt my own senses would be able to adjust fighting with my left arm and the magic and my body would likely be in contest. Of course, what I was presented with was a small mob incapable of coordinated unity and that won't freaking stand if we fight ASIC; they'd likely tear into us like ribbons.

"_Damn it. If we act like this when we return to the graveyard, we're all going to die._" I snarl in my mind seeing this group fight. If we were in Aincrad when we were doing this, I would have exiled them from the frontline.

"_**I won't deny it Karen. This is an utter fiasco.**_"

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [13:30] November 24th 20XX

Location: [Underverse]

After we got to what we presume to be the end of this dungeon, we see a pair of heavily armed guards in front of a small metal platform. WIth a little bit of looking as I try my best not to get seen by the guards, I can also see the Oracle restrained to a wall which apparently is the reason why she didn't try to escape before when she was captured by ASIC.

"There's the Oracle. Two of ASIC's followers are there; Uni, can you handle this?"

"I think I could, but these two are still human and once worshipped the CPUs. It wouldn't sit well with me to kill innocent people like this; even if they did worship Green Heart."

"Okay then...let me think." I mumble as I switch my glance toward the two guards again and try to think of a plan to use here that prevents death "Uni, how about this? We could draw the guards' attention with a rifle shot and bring them here, then we can have Filia and Nepgear knock them out if you hit them with the pommel of your swords. That'll buy us a few moments and you can keep them restrained until we free Chika."

Nepgear and Filia nod and take up their positions against a wall dividing us from the guards, to strike them with IF and Nisa supporting the pair with the imprisonment of the guards while Compa, Uni, Uzume, and I are preparing to rush toward Chika once we begin the operation. When we get into position, I nod in Uni's direction and she nods in sequence and she aims her rifle in the direction of the barrier's entry. She has her right hand free and in plain view of us all when she calmly hides one finger, then two, three, four, and when all five are firmly clenched into a fist; she rapidly fires her rifle and runs to the left behind me to evade notice. Thankfully, my plan worked perfectly as the two guards run out toward us and Filia and Nepgear swiftly hit the guards in the back of the head with their sword pommels which knocked them to the ground and IF and Nisa rush to help with their suppression. With the guards out of the way, we run toward the Oracle and do our best to free her.

* * *

"Are you okay?" I worriedly ask though I can't help break the chains holding her because of my injuries.

"Ugh...I spent goddess knows how long chained up here in this toaster oven and I can't move any part of my body, so what do you think?"

Uzume quickly uses weak fire magic to shatter the chains keeping her bound to the platform and she slightly falls as Uzume supports her from falling to the ground outright

"Thanks I guess. My name is Chika Hakozaki, Oracle of Leanbox. Who are you all?"

"My name is Compa, a nurse in training from Planeptune Medical School. Pleased to meet you Miss Hackysack."

"I'm Uni, CPU Candidate of Lastation."

"I'm Uzume, former leader of the nation: Astrocade."

"I'm Karen Koizumi. In a matter of speaking, I am the former leader of the nation: Magnavox."

"I'm not even going to argue about that mispronunciation girlie, I'm too tired to. The candidate is a bit bland since I know of her already, but two ancient CPUs in front of me? That is a gold mine begging to be unearthed. The knowledge we could tap into. But now's not the time for such things; I want to return to the Basilicom. I am sick of this place."

"I don't blame you Oracle Hakozaki. This place is insufferable and I am eager to leave. I am not good with this level of temperature." Uzume admits rather quickly in response to Chika's apparent dislike of the surroundings.

"Nepgear, we got the Oracle; let's get out here!" I call out as Uni pulls out an Escape Button and throws it to the ground when we grouped together.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [14:15] November 24th 20XX

Location: [Leanbox Basilicom]

After we got the Oracle, we returned to the Basilicom and we happened to notice that Linda is long gone, apparently driven off by Filia's earlier threat and if I were in her shoes, I would've run off too

"I can't believe I'd say that I missed this place. I guess being imprisoned in a volcano makes a girl think about her stake in life."

"Let's get to the point. Oracle Chika Hakozaki, we need the Mascot Character for this land."

"I can't give it to you Karen Koizumi. Realize that because Leanbox doesn't have a CPU Candidate like the other nations, we weren't able to soften the blow to our shares at all. It was fine at first, but things began plummeting drastically over the course of the last year so I had to take unorthodox measures. Having an idol competition to build faith was one of my only options."

"I see. I guess." I simply huff since we're going through so much effort getting this last Mascot and it's in a way I detest.

"And I have to say. It's good to see you again Filia Yuasa."

"You know her Oracle?" Nepgear curiously inquires and I'm curious about this myself. I know Filia was born here in Leanbox but I don't know anything more than that. She keeps more secrets than anyone I know.

"Know her? She was one of my top agents among the Special Missions Department; a literal one man army; but she suddenly quit a little over two months ago. She walked off without a single word to anyone, even to Cave, who was the closest person she had to a friend according to what I heard."

"I left the SMD because I am sick of their inactivity. If you weren't so weak-willed, you would've sent them to rescue the CPUs yourself; we're some of Gamindustri's strongest. You would've sent me. In addition, I left because my father and so many people were at risk of dying from that Guardragon and no one was willing to get off their high horse and do something about it. Only one group had the guts to do something so of course I'd leave to do what's right. Even if it's ASIC."

"Filia, you do know I can consider that as high treason right? And remember that I can't risk the SMD; if they're lost, Leanbox is defenseless."

"But do you want to play this card Chika? Even you admitted I'm practically a one man army." As if her tone of voice wasn't evident enough, she kept a hand close to her sword sheath which made her nervously scratch the back of her head.

"Point made. The last thing I want to do is piss _you_ off. Regardless, I need things to proceed this way until the idol competition is concluded and Leanbox's shares rise. That way, Leanbox will have some use to my dear Vert when she returns." After saying this, she crosses her arms and stares at us all "Now, if you wouldn't mind, I want to speak privately with the CPUs here. If you desire anything, talk to the servants and they'll do what they can. Tell them that it's an order from Oracle Chika Hakozaki, but if you order anything outlandish, you will hear from me."

* * *

After this, Compa, Nisa, IF, and Filia walk to a different room leaving me, Uzume, Nepgear, and Uni with Chika in the main lobby as she paces about with a nervous step in her walk

"Okay listen CPUs. I am going to be direct. I need you and anyone working with you to rescue my precious Vert and the others as quickly as possible, before it's too late."

"What do you mean too late?" I ask since I knew that while defeating ASIC was important, Histoire never put a time limit for us all.

"I had an agent from the SMD infiltrate ASIC a while back and according to the report, they're getting close to reviving their guardian deity. A woman called Arfoire. The CPUs fell against a mere follower of ASIC, so if this Arfoire is revived, the prospect will be grave. But I suspect that if you manage to destroy all four CFWs, you can stop the ritual from happening and prevent her resurrection."

"**If Arfoire is revived at full power, we won't be able to stop her. My sisters were at full power and they were all killed, well; aside from Uzume. I myself fell in battle but I won, albeit barely. I wasn't able to dispose of her, merely seal her away. We'll both do our duty to fight the Syndicate however.**"

"I am thankful for that; whoever you are. But that's why you need to defeat ASIC before it's too late."

"**She is right to be concerned. Back when I was a full CPU, Arfoire and her followers utterly destroyed the nations of Faricity, Colico, and Vectria, people and CPU included. The nations of Astrocade and Magnavox were badly ruined but managed to evacuate their people to escape the bloodbath before it begun. It was a dark day for Gamindustri but victory was earned, for a time.**"*

"Well then; we'll simply fight our hardest to ensure this Arfoire is properly defeated this time." Uni proclaims proudly.

"**That's...Yeah, you're right Uni.**" While Caelus was rather confident when she spoke to Uni, she confided a rather different opinion to me privately "_**I have severe doubts about that to be honest Karen. She wasn't there.**_"

"_I can only imagine._" I mutter in response, knowing that this situation is apparently capable of getting far worse than it was before, and if she's this desperate, perhaps I can mine that a little to get extra power I need "Chika, I need to ask you for something myself."

"If it'll help my darling Vert, name it and I'll do what I can."

"Uzume and I need new Processor Units. Our sets are, well, horribly outdated and need replacing."

"Processor Units huh? That's a rather tall order to ask out of the blue, but I know how it's done, and like I said; if you swear you'll rescue Vert, I'll do it." After I asked this question, I got suspicious glares from Nepgear and Uni for about a minute since I'm asking Chika to make the two of us far stronger than before, though we all nod in response; with Nepgear and Uni having a bit of hesitation doing so "Looks like I won't have much time for relaxation, but I say it's worth it. For the sake of that process, I'd like for you and Uzume to stay here while I work. The others are free to do what they wish."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:00] November 30th 20XX

Location: [Leanbox Basilicom]

About a week has passed since we rescued Oracle Chika Hakozaki and we've been doing various errands, jobs, and quests to raise shares in Leanbox before the idol competition though Uzume and I have been staying in the Basilicom at Chika's request so she can work on our new Processor Units. The first day she began working, she went to rather long lengths to take rather accurate measurements of our bodies, to the point where it felt extremely disturbing, and then she wanted to see our talents in battle. But thankfully that test was last since my arm was still recovering so she said she'd hold off on my combat simulations, though Uzume went through it straightaway and she tells me she has never felt so powerful in her life.

When Chika gave me my new Processor Unit, she assured that my appearances in CPU form would be unchanged but my parameters will receive significant boosts which should mean I'll be better in fighting in that form. I know I got to see Uzume with her new processors during her training and while she looks the same as before, she was far stronger than before.

"Okay, I finished making your new Unit, but now we need to test it in battle. Come with me."

I follow the Oracle through the Basilicom to the training room, which has glass walls which is rather reflective, where Uzume has been training and it has special enchantments restricted to this single room which offers CPU an endless supply of share energy for training though it only works in this room only. It's a little unsettling when I heard that Chika's predecessor had it arranged on Vert's behalf and the only one who knew how the spell was made died that very day. Although it could be because of other reasons unrelated to it, that piece of news practically confirms the suspicion that the person was silenced to prevent recreation of that spell.

"Well, now that you can use her sword arm again, let's see how well you can fight with your new Unit installed."

I nod and shout out 'Access' to engage Hard Drive Divinity and when my CPU form is finalized, I draw Celeste from her sheathe to see that she has transformed from her old appearance. Before, she had a blue grip, a gold guard and shoulder, and a shiny silver color on the blade; but now the blade is a deep crimson red and the guard is shiny silver in a crescent moon pattern. And furthermore, the sword feels heavier than before but I feel stronger which seems to balance out that fact.

"_**Well Karen, that sword is now your own since you have reached the final phase of acclimation: Full synchronization between the sword and the master. Calling her Celeste wouldn't be right anymore. It was my sword and now she has changed for your sole use. Give her a new name which befits her.**_"

"_A new name_" I mumble in my head before I think about what to name her now "_Considering the personality I have in this form: formal and elegant, I want to give a name that matches that. I will name her...Benten. Back in the part of the world I'm from, she is the goddess of everything that flows: Words, speech, and eloquence. Fighting is not the only way to defeat an enemy: words can wound an enemy as much as the sharpest blade. Rumors can destroy the strongest of nations. Elegance is beautiful yet dangerous if used in a certain style. But I have one concern. Will I be able to use Celeste, er, I mean Benten in human form if it's like this?_"

"_**Definitely so. Benten's magical enchantments are designed for synchronization with her master, human form or CPU form. The sword should adjust its size once you revert. Now let's see how you fight with your new sword.**_"

* * *

I mentally nod in agreement to her statement and I face Uzume who is keeping herself nimble in the same manner when I met her in Gapain Field.

I dash toward Uzume with a firm sword slash though she blocks it with her bracers and quickly retaliates with a rapid series of punches and one well-timed upward kick which sends me back a few feet. What surprises me is that she has far more power in her strikes and if I were in human form, I would've been defeated by now. But she needs improvement if she wants to exceed the limits she was burdened with during her life before she fell against ASIC.

"Holy. Uzume, you are certainly very strong, but you're not using your strength to your utmost potential. You're attacking too randomly; if you focus your efforts on the body's pressure points, each focused strike can be as deadly as ten random ones." I say as I try teaching Uzume how she can be even more powerful.

"I'll take note of that, but you're in a poor position to lecture me when I'm beating you Karen." Uzume smirks very amusedly and she practically sneers at the fact I'm on the losing end even though we've only just started this spar.

"You have far too much arrogance Uzume. It's high time I knock you from your high horse and teach you some manners."

I grip Benten very firmly and slash at Uzume repeatedly and although she blocked most of the strikes, I got one good one in atleast. Uzume quickly jumped back with multiple backflips in response to my slash.

"That wasn't half bad to be honest Karen. Looks like I have to step up my game. Next Form, Engage!"

* * *

The moment she shouted out what appeared to be an incantation, she is enveloped by a pyramid shape of light. When it fades, I see that the shield Uzume keeps on her arm has vanished and appears to have formed the wings I see on her back resembles mine somewhat as it matches the robotic angel theme though the extravagance seems almost excessive as if she's trying to stand out and there are even small orbs attached to the wings the design make think they're for ranged combat since they look like optical drones run by a VI or something. While the colors are unchanged, her wardrobe has changed from her usual to a full skin-tight suit colored orange and white with no skin aside from her face being visible, but for the oddest reason there appear to be something akin to metallic cocoons around her lower legs. Her hair has also lengthened past her waist and I also see that the gem on her torso has moved from her headpiece to her torso with a circle surrounding the gemstone and the headpiece itself is gone.

"Now witness the power of the CPU's next form!" What surprised me is that normally Uzume takes things at a rather casual pace but she sounds far more assertive and high-paced.

After this proclamation, Uzume connects both of her bracers for a brief moment and dashes toward me guns blazing and the increased strength of her 'Next Form' is making it incredibly difficult for me to block her attacks and the strike sends me reeling back a bit, creating distance between us

"_**Karen, you need to step up to the plate. Don't let Uzume beat you this easily! Access your Next Form transformation!**_"

"Activate Next Form!" I shout as I am enveloped with the same pyramid as Uzume.

I quickly notice that I am seeing my body from outside my usual senses and I see most of the robe I'm wearing fade as they glow and it stops at the bodysuit I've seen of all the CPUs. I then see parts of armor colored gold and white spawn which magnetically attach to my legs, torso, and arms. Benten is also even larger than before and naturally heavier than in my regular CPU form.

When the pyramid vanishes and I'm brought back into my body's natural senses, Uzume rapidly charges toward me to resume the battle in earnest, and the first of my strikes nearly sent her flying

"_Holy...I feel so powerful; even more than I did in my conventional CPU form. Caelus, did you know about this power?_"

"_**Not in the slightest. All I know is that Uzume used it and she is far more powerful using it. Next Form was something that never existed in my day; I can only guess that the requirements were far too demanding for our Processors to handle.**_"

I then charge toward Uzume and my fighting style seems to be incredibly strong yet I am dodging quite a few of her attacks. It seems like I can freely use the fighting style Driin taught me in this form and perhaps use it even more effectively.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] November 30th 20XX

Location: [Leanbox Basilicom]

After what felt like an eternity, the spar between me and Uzume finally began to slow down as we're getting exhausted but to go nearly two hours is an impressive feat nonetheless. At the end, the sole thing keeping me up was Benten being used as a crutch. I quickly see my Next Form transformation vanish from the view of the glass walls and immediately after, my normal CPU transformation ends and I'm back in my human form.

"Goddess. I have never felt so exhausted in my life, and I've gone through a coma when Caelus revived me."

After I weakly muttered this, I see Uzume's transformation end as well and go back to her regular appearance.

"I most certainly agree." Uzume agrees with heavy panting in her voice.

I then hear a few amused claps come from Chika who was watching our spar this whole time

"Impressive. Seeing you two fight this strongly makes my work well worth it. When Vert is freed, I'll be able to make her stronger than ever with these designs, once I make modifications. The CPUs will need all the power they can get soon, so I need to tell Histoire, Kei, and Mina to get working on new Processor Units for Neptune, Noire, and Blanc using my designs." Chika says rather amusedly as she lightly tosses a pair of bottles to us "Here, have some health drinks; you're exhausted."

"Normally I'd say I feel uneasy about being used a guinea pig for experimental technology, but considering the leaps and bounds I've advanced with it, I'm okay with it." I say with mild unease before opening the lid on the bottle and taking a sip of the drink Chika gave me but the moment the drink touched my tongue I immediately do a spit-take "Dear goddess, that taste is revolting!" I exclaim in mild pain and I see Uzume has one of her hands on her throat followed by a few coughs; I guess she drank it too.

"That's an unfortunate side of it. The taste is bad but the effects are near instantaneous, the stamina you spent fighting each other should recover quickly. Anyway, the competition starts soon, we should hurry and see the proceedings." Chika says rather enthusiastically as she leaves the room.

We spend a minute trying to recover from the nasty taste on our mouths from that drink but Chika was right when she said that my energy would recover very quickly after drinking it. Afterwards, Uzume puts on the robe like usual whenever she goes out

"Ugh, she needs to improve that blasted taste. I felt like I was going to die."

"Er, Karen; how long do I have to keep wearing this thing? It's beginning to look a tad suspicious."

"I don't know Uzume, but trust me; this needs to be done."

"I...very well. You're still Cae in a manner of speaking, and even if we're not linked by blood, she's still my sister. I'll trust you Karen."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:30] November 30th 20XX

Location: [Leanbox Tournament Grounds]

After we left the Basilicom, we see a moderately sized stage and a huge crowd in front of it here to watch the idol competition happen and the person I see on the stage is the person who was teaching Izumi, Rom, Ram, and RED: 5pb. I quickly heard her begin singing and her voice is beyond angelic and the song she's singing is equally angelic. I have to say; I've seen animes and games involving idols once or twice, but this girl outranks them all in both voice and choreography.

"Incredible. I've never met such a talented singer and dancer before. Though I never really saw the need to seek such qualities before."

"Yeah. I'm just as amazed as you are Uzume."

I continue watching 5pb's performance and I see that the judges have given her perfect marks with Izumi's group following suite. I then quickly see Cave run toward me, Uzume, and Chika with a calm expression that has a hint of fright.

"Lady Chika, ASIC has just stolen the Mascot Character. Filia is in pursuit of the individual responsible with a squad of SMD members."

"Goddess- Karen, Uzume, get moving! We need to recover the Mascot Character immediately!"

"Got it! Cave, lead the way!" I exclaim as I follow Cave who is leading the two of us in the direction of the city teleport hub.

When we get to the hub, the three of us find Filia outside it at the controls

"Good timing. I need your help. We need to pursue CFW Magic; she stole the Mascot. My former colleagues in the SMD tracked her to the Gapain Fields and are awaiting us outside that dungeon."

"Yeah; Cave just told us that. We need to hurry and get the Mascot. We can't let ASIC have it."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [13:30] November 30th 20XX

Location: [Gapain Field]

After I joined up with the six man team of SMD members outside the dungeon, we dashed through the area fighting anything and everything in our way and I must admit that these guys are crazy skilled in combat and although their weapon sets are incredibly varied, I can easily tell that they've mastered their individual skills. In fact, neither Uzume or I haven't been able to get a single hit on a monster, but I certainly am not complaining...much. When we got to the end in an organized manner, I began getting a little suspicious since we haven't seen Magic yet.

"This was the same area where…" I mumble in my head when I remember that friends fell into ASIC's trap around here "_Wait, I just remembered about Sleuth. I never really paid it much mind since I can't see stats on people, but maybe…_" I touch the side of my head to trigger Sleuth and when the transparent visor spawned in front of my eyes; I see the environment's color rapidly shifting and when things turned into an x ray vision, I see a magic circle hidden underneath the ground and the design is identical to what I saw when they got petrified "_I should've anticipated this. Sleuth has changed its purpose from people to environments._" "Guys, stay behind me." I pick up a nearby rock and toss it toward the magic circle, hoping that I can trick it into triggering.

Thankfully, the trick worked as the magic circle is triggered and since no one was there, no one got petrified

"Kch, I should have figured you wouldn't fall for the same trick." Magic scowls as she appears behind one of the trees.

"I'm not stupid Magic. Guys, stay back and let us handle this." I say to the SMD members since Chika mentioned that the SMD is crucial to Leanbox's survival.

Uzume and I walk forward ahead of the group to fight against Magic, with Uzume throwing her robe to me as I quickly put it in my inventory and I engage my HDD to balance the odds between us

"Uzume, we should take this chance to discover how long we can maintain our newest power outside that field."

"Yeah, let's see."

"Execute! Next form!" We shout in unison and transform into Next Form for this fight.

* * *

When the pyramid that transformed us into this extension form faded, I quickly dash toward Magic and attack her with an upward slash which sends her into the sky and I follow after her through flight and I rapidly attack her with several sword slashes which is keeping her from falling to the ground. I follow this series of attacks with a strong downward slash which has her going toward Uzume's turn to strike

"It's your turn Uzume! Go all out!" I shout as I quickly fly to the ground and my HDD deactivates immediately because of the low share issue.

I turn my eyes toward Uzume as she flies toward Magic and she attacked with rapid punches and kicks which certainly are taking their toll if her strikes are as strong as the ones she used against me in the spar. What truly surprises me is that I see Uzume grab Magic in a grapple and strongly throw her toward the ground with a very strong kick accelerating the impact speed and that very impact created a small crater in the ground. I quickly dash toward the crater with Uzume floating next to me.

"Damn you...How are you so strong…?"

"I told you Magic. Humanity will never give up no matter what obstacles lie in our way. It is time I end this once and for all!" I retort very solemnly, as I draw Benten and drive it through Magic's chest.

However, where I expected shouts of pain, I hear laughing "Do you think this fazes me CPU? If you thought what I inflicted before was pain, you are sorely mistaken!" After proclaiming this, I see Magic strongly grab my blade and the sensation of lightning once again courses through my body.

I'm thankful Uzume firmly stomped on Magic's arm which made her drop her grip on my sword and I quickly drew Benten out and walked back a short distance out of surprise. I see Magic teleport away yet again which irritates me greatly but there is a silver lining: In her haste, Magic left the final Mascot Character we need. When the pain subsides, I gently pick up the disc from within the crater.

"Green Disc, are you okay?" I serenely ask; I can't imagine being kidnapped was a pleasant experience.

"I'm quite alright. I am thankful you came to my aid so quickly. I owe you my life. But who are you?"

"My name is Karen Koizumi. I became the avatar for CPU Aqua Heart of Magnavox six months ago."

"I am Uzume, leader of the nation: Astrocade which fell in ages past. My divine name is Orange Heart."

"My goodness. I never would've expected old CPUs to reappear in this age. It'd be an honor working with you. But may I ask why you have come for me?"

"We're here to fight ASIC, the woman who kidnapped you is one of them. I would like to ask for your assistance in fighting them."

"I see. I will gladly offer my assistance for such a cause."

"Thank you very much." I say with a sincere smile as I feel power well up within me, as Green Disc is giving me her power.

* * *

After this, I see the members of the SMD stare at the two of us in awe

"Wow. To see actual CPUs after three years of absence. It's a miracle." One of the members mutters in surprise at our displays not long ago.

"CPU Aqua Heart, Orange Heart; if you'll have us, we'd like to swear ourselves to your service." After this was mentioned, all of the SMD members save Cave and Filia quickly nodded in agreement.

"I appreciate it but your place is here in Leanbox, helping Chika Hakozaki."

"Karen, I wouldn't shoot them down so quickly. There has been fractures in the SMD lately, faith is beginning to waver. So let them join your chain of command." Filia interjects rather seriously about the situation.

"Filia, what is the meaning of this? Why are you determined to shatter the SMD? Leanbox is defenseless without them."

"The SMD is already reeling from Vert being gone three years Cave; I don't want the organization fracturing and its members scattering to the wind. There'll be a new nation in the near future and they could be a great help. It'll preserve some semblance of the organization but in a new country."

"Filia, that is high treason. What happened to you since you left? You were loyal to Leanbox and the SMD."

"I'm sick of sitting on my ass, twiddling my thumbs doing nothing. I am a woman of action and I left the SMD to help Gamindustri. Question my methods as much as you well like, but do not doubt my intent. I respect the ideals of the SMD, but I will no longer let them stop me from doing what's right. I refuse to sit around doing nothing while the rest of the world suffers and burns."

"Cave, we're going to defer to Filia's judgement. Sure, she's a little abrasive but she's widely considered the best out of all of us. The organization just hasn't been the same since she left."

"Wow, you certainly inspired loyalty in these guys Filia." I say in awe at their willingness to leave their job to assist me.

"They were part of my squad when I worked here and they grew enamored of my talents. You saw how powerful they were Karen, and I guarantee their loyalty. They'll work under my command."

"I don't approve of this Filia, but you are just someone I can't compete against."

"Glad to hear it Cave. Let us return to Chika and inform her of the situation."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [14:15] November 30th 20XX

Location: [Leanbox Tournament Grounds]

After we returned to Chika and reported on the situation, Chika obviously is mildly peeved about the matter with the SMD

"Geez, if I knew you were going to steal members of my elite forces, I would've been more hesitant to give you your new Processor Units."

"I didn't force them; they wanted to serve me of their own volition."

I see Chika deeply sigh out of mild irritation and simply shrugs her shoulders afterward "I can't blame them for losing faith in our nation; my beloved Vert's been gone three years and without a CPU or a CPU Candidate, Leanbox had no way to soften the damage to our shares. I don't like it, but if my stray SMD members want to leave to join you, I'll allow it. On one condition."

"Which is?"

"I don't want you getting information about Leanbox through them. If you want them to join you, they would no longer be Leanbox citizens."

"That is a deemable sacrifice Miss Chika. But could you please let our families stay here in Leanbox until the matter is resolved? We wouldn't want to force them to leave our homes so abruptly." I'm a little surprised that these guys are so willing to leave their homeland forever for me. Were things _that_ bad in Gamindustri before we got here? I'm surprised to see how much the appearance of a CPU can do in society.

"Consider it done. I'll let your families stay until ASIC is defeated, but afterward, they must leave."

"Thank you Miss Chika. We appreciate your generosity even when we are being exiled."

"Yeah well, you _were_ my citizens and as Oracle, I have to look out for them to the best of my ability. I am certain that the SMD will miss you all. I do wish to ask for one favor, not as Oracle, but as a person: I want you to tear ASIC a new one for everything they've done to us."

"That's quite violent of you Chika, but rest assured: We will destroy ASIC." I say with a tiny sense of surprise seeing Chika speak this violently though I confidently smile at the desire for ASIC's destruction.

"Do so and Leanbox will be in your debt. Same with the other nations." Chika says with a calm face and pulls out a tiny laptop and checks something. After a minute passes, I see her grin and close her laptop "Perfect. Leanbox's shares have risen significantly. We should be safe for a while."

"Well then Lady Chika. It is time we get going. We need to hurry to Planeptune to fight ASIC."

"You sure? You all have been through a lot."

"Yes. We need to hurry after all."

"Okay then. Since the lockdown is over, we'll be sending ships back to their nations. I'll contact one of the captains and have him bring your group to Planeptune. I also told your friends to head there ahead of you. Cave, I want you to accompany this group, show them how strong you are. Feel bring to bring 5pb if she wishes. In the meantime, I'll be reorganizing the SMD and prepare them for the worst."

"Understood Lady Chika."

"Thank you Chika." I sincerely bow in gratitude and I walk away with my team.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [19:00] November 30th 20XX

Location: [E.R.S. Perseus]

After the ship left the Leanbox docks, my friends had spread out to different parts of the ship but I've been staying at the bow of the ship staring out at the ocean. I heard that the captain upgraded the engines while the ship was in lockdown so he said we'd reach Planeptune within a week. Caelus told me that she had been overdoing things quite a bit and would be sleeping until we reach Planeptune.

"_Six months and we've reached the final battle. I just wish that my friends were here with me. I pray they're okay, I'd never be able to forgive myself if they get hurt._"

"You okay Karen?" I hear someone say to me and I turn around to see Uzume standing next to me.

"Eh, barely. I miss my friends. I failed them all when they got petrified by ASIC."

"I see it still weighs heavily on you." Uzume says rather blankly as she joins me in staring out at the environs.

"Yeah. They're my friends after all. Of course their being in enemy hands weighs heavily on me."

"Karen I actually want to get something off my chest. You mind if I rectify a few tiny lies I made?"

"Er, sure." I have to say, I'm really curious on what lies she told me amongst what she has said to me.

"I told you I was sleeping in the dimensional void for eons right? That wasn't exactly the case. Because of how I was born, I had no need for sleep or food so the only thing I really did after I was forced out was journey through the dimensional void. I stayed close to Gamindustri to a time and I saw the battle between Cae and ASIC. When I saw how badly injured she was, I began searching for someone who could help her survive and so I journeyed through the dimensional void, looking at various worlds and searching for people who resemble my sister, and you were a close match so I discreetly helped you along and make sure you make it to Gamindustri somehow. After who knows how long, I encountered someone who kept his appearance hidden underneath a black robe with red trims at the shoulders, arms, and lower waist and the headpiece which blocked his face had a very strange symbol inside a circle. He was surprised to see another person trapped outside the dimensional plane and when I mentioned my goal in passing, he said that our own missions could coincide. I was looking for a compatible individual to merge with my sister, even though I didn't know what could happen, and he was looking for a civilization that could make some kind of game. Regardless of the fact, I began helping him so he could help me." After saying this, she took a deep breath to make a small break of her speech since she did speak quite a lot "When we began working together, we began investigating other worlds and the first thing he asked me to do was to help transport a powerful AI from one world to one he had high hopes for, he wanted that AI to boost his own. However, there was a human who inadvertently got brought with the AI, and the power I used for the transport wasn't safe for living beings. I heard that human died shortly afterward and the AI was damaged somewhat. He was not exactly amused about the AI report, but he later said that it all worked out-"

"Er, could you wait a minute? You were talking about a powerful AI. What was its name?" I ask as I interrupt her, since elements of this story sounds familiar and if it's the same, that could explain some of the missing pieces of this puzzle.

"Well, I think it was called XANA. I never understood why you would name whatever this AI thing is though."

"_XANA?! So...that human who died must have been Hikaru! So Hikaru and XANA were brought to my world by Uzume, who followed the directive laid forward by this individual she's talking about. But that raises more questions than answers._" After thinking it over in my head I look toward Uzume "Uzume, you said this person was trying to make a game; did he ever tell you anything about it?"

"Not exactly. Or rather, I barely understood what he talked about. All I got was that it was some kind of fighting game. Anyway, come on; we're about to have dinner. You must be starving after everything we've been through lately."

"Yeah, let's go." I simply nod though my mind is processing all of this new information and the shock of the discovery of what brought Hikaru and XANA into our lives. Looks like things aren't as simple as it seems; and this person that Uzume worked with must know more about this than anyone.

* * *

A/N:

Firstly, I have to say: I want to sincerely thank those of you reviewing the story so positively. Seeing all of the positive feedback helps encourage me to keep writing these stories. I wouldn't have gotten this far without all of you helping me, so thank you all of my readers. And I want to hear potential ideas for skills for both Karen and Uzume and a combination skill between them.

Basically, in this fanfic, Uzume fights like Jude Mathis from Tales of Xillia or Senel Coolidge from Legendia, but at the current moment, she barely has any strength behind her moves. Also, I have a reason for changing her weapon style from headphones to bracers according to the official Hyperdimension Neptunia wikia. While I do bend heel somewhat, I like to keep my stories fairly realistically and therefore; there's not a lot of ways to explain how a megaphone could be used as a weapon.

Since I'll likely never directly mention it directly in the story, I'll list the names of the five ancient CPUs here. Also, if you're genre-savvy when it comes to video game console history, you should see the connection between Caelus as the progenitor and the other four CPUs as progeny.

Eris - Ruby Heart (Pink) - Eris led Faricity (Reference - Fairchild Channel F)

Corrine - Scarlet Heart (Red) - Corrine led Vectria (Reference - Vectrex)

Manila - Pearl Heart (White) - Manila led Colico (Reference - ColecoVision)

Uzume - Orange Heart - Uzume led Astrocade (Reference - Bally Astrocade)

Caelus - Aqua Heart (Blue) - Caelus led Magnavox (Reference - Magnavox Odyssey)

Lastly, because of how I said that I'll be ending this first arc on chapter 16, the next couple of chapters will likely be rather long since I'm doing my best to compress yet heavily focus certain parts of the game. This chapter works with Leanbox, the next will be the battle in the Graveyard that will free the CPUs and the destruction of ASIC, and chapter 16 will be the clean-up of ASIC's vestiges and an event I'll keep secret until then. Once I start chapter 17, I will be changing to third person since it'll be a huge pain trying to write what it'll be about in first person and I want to keep the amount of stress to a minimal.


	16. Chapter 15: In Sacrifice, Victory

A/N: Okay guys, while I've tried doing my best keeping this story at a T rating, I realized it may no longer be possible so I'm going to play it safe and bump this story up to M. There will be future chapters that will be remarkably gruesome and I don't want to get in trouble.

Also, let me say that I need to thank Amku for helping me research the subject of Turian and Krogan diets even though the official lore of the ME series is lacking in that regard.

Also, this took me _sooooo_ long to finish. I started this back in early January and I just finished it today.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [8:00] December 7th 20XX

Location: [Planeptune Basilicom]

It's been nearly six months since my friends and I have entered this world and when we started this journey, it was me, Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, Shino, Nepgear, Compa, IF, and Falcom journeying to find the Mascot Characters and our ranks have swelled quite a bit and although Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, Shino, and Miyo are gone; we've recruited Uni, Rom, Ram, Uzume, Izumi, Filia, Nisa, Gust, RED, Cave, 5pb., and former members of Leanbox's SMD department so we have a sizable force for our battle against ASIC in their base.

While I was on the Perseus, I did ask 5pb, which I quickly learned was her idol stage name and her real name was Lyrica, if she was serious on her decision to help us all rescue the CPUs since she was an idol and not a fighter, and she told me that her music was a special type of magic and she was committed to help no matter what, but she did admit that while she is nervous about facing a den of wolves, she swore she would help. I initially failed to see the impact of how her music magic could help us, but she said it was primarily as a morale booster and it could even suppress enemy strength; and I immediately saw the appeal as it could help keep us fighting no matter what we face in that Graveyard.

And to be truthfully honest, there were so many people helping us, Histoire had to select a different room to open the next portal to the Graveyard for us to use. In addition, Histoire was rather surprised to see Uzume and hear that she survived the ancient war against ASIC like Caelus.

"I am glad to see you all have returned and with more people aiding our cause. I have taken the liberty of creating a brand new Sharicite to revive the CPUs and it is far more powerful than the last one which revived Nepgear. This time we should be able to rescue all of the CPUs, but I must make one thing clear, please exercise extreme caution: ASIC will know you are coming and have likely prepared themselves; please be careful to avoid repeating what happened six months ago."

"Don't worry Histoire. We are far stronger than we were six months ago, and we have a small army supporting us. Let's not forget we have robbed ASIC of a great number of shares, so they should not be as strong as before. But we'll be careful."

After saying this, Histoire passed the new Sharicite crystal to Nepgear and opens a portal for us all to enter the Gamindustri Graveyard "Since our shares are much higher, I can afford to keep this portal open this time. Best of luck, I pray for your victory." Histoire then passes us six walkie-talkies.

We take a quick moment to check all of our gear and brace ourselves for what could be the toughest fight of our entire lives and after we do this, we enter the portal.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [8:30] December 7th 20XX

Location: [Gamindustri Graveyard]

After entering the graveyard, we quickly notice that the number of monsters has greatly increased and I can tell that they're stronger than the last time we were here; ASIC must have been preparing for our inevitable arrival, just like Histoire and Brave said.

"Okay, this complicates matters. If we keep this portal unguarded, monsters could get through and attack the Basilicom. Filia, I want your men to stay here and guard the entrance."

"Got it Karen. You heard her you guys. You're staying here. Keep this area secure so we have an escape route."

"Understood!" The former SMD members shout in unison as they begin branching out to protect this area.

"Everyone else; let's go. And remember Histoire's words, we have to exercise caution as much as possible, we have no idea what we're up against here."

We then proceed through the area guns blazing as the monsters are rather aggressive and are going out of their way to fight against us but I notice something from the top of a nearby junk fall near me but I ignore it since it seems to be nothing. It was most likely the wind knocking over what fell.

* * *

POV: ?

"Dammit, you could've given us away! We're supposed to be hiding out of sight until they reach the end and maximize our strategic advantage!" An individual wearing a rather unique set of blue colored armor quietly snarls when he notices his colleague accidentally knock over some junk off the top of the wall they're walking on toward ground level.

"Don't start with me. This place is full of junk; I can't walk a single step without knocking something over. And stealth is not my expertise, I fight for a living!"

"Well deal with it. Histoire went out of her way to bring us back and we're going to do things as she demands."

"I envy those bastards down there. I'd trade places with them without hesitation."

"Quit complaining. It'll take ages to reach the end going this way and we have to get there before they do. Now just shut up and follow me."

"Huh. So you finally decided to grow a backbone after forty years of living. 'bout time."

After this argument, the individual in blue armor knees his companion in the stomach before the pair continue their trek; sniper rifle and shotgun in hand.

* * *

POV: Karen

After fighting over twenty more monsters trying to stop us, I happen to notice a statue not far off the beaten path and when I glance at it, I recognize who it is. If it weren't for the fact I saw her petrified in Gapain Field, I would've said that it's a very well-made statue because of its extremely high human likeness.

"Yuuki!" I exclaim as I dash toward her with the others in tow.

"Goodness. Let's get her out of here." Nepgear mutters in shock at seeing Yuuki's petrified body. She then quickly closes her eyes, places a hand on Yuuki's face and chants an incantation. I see the petrification slowly fade and when the last of it fades, I see Yuuki begin to fall and I hurry to catch her

"Yuuki, you okay?" I worriedly ask the girl as I keep her from falling to the ground.

"Ugh...That voice...Karen? Is that you?" Yuuki's voice is rather coarse and it's easy to tell that trying to get her eyes to open fully is a huge challenge right now.

"Yeah, it's me Yuuki. Can you see?"

"A tiny bit. It's so blurry though."

"We need to get you treatment." I say with maternal instinct in my voice as I pull out a walkie talkie to talk to Histoire "Histoire, I found one of my friends; she needs medical attention."

"_Evacuate them with an escape button, and I'll have medical teams treat them._"

"Understood." I say to Histoire as I pull out an escape button and give it to Yuuki "Here, just throw this toward the ground. Histoire is gathering medical teams for you all."

"Thanks Karen. I wish I could stay to help you fight, but I know I'd be a burden in my current condition. But good luck trying to convince Katsuo, Kazuto, or Mamoru though. You know them." Yuuki weakly chuckles as she takes the escape button, takes a step back and throws the escape button to the ground.

After seeing Yuuki leave via escape button, I quickly take out the few I have left and distribute them to Falcom, Gust, Lyrica, Compa, and I keep the last one for myself.

"Okay, it's clear that the others are here. We're getting them all out of here no matter what. Nepgear, is it easy using that magic you used?"

"Not exactly. Even though petrification is an enhanced version of paralysis, curing it requires a type of magic only we goddesses can use as far as I know. But events I have seen and heard make me have a degree of doubt when it comes to what we are capable of using."

"Come on Gear, we have to keep moving; we need to conserve our strength as best we can for Nep and the others. They need us." IF says with a firm tone as she points to the left as we see Filia, Nisa, and Cave fighting nearby monsters to keep them away from us.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:30] December 7th 20XX

Location: [Gamindustri Graveyard]

It took a while because of how ASIC had been fortifying this dungeon with strong monsters, but we've finally reached the endpoint of the first half of this dungeon and found Kazuto, Mamoru, and Shino in that order and sent them back to Planeptune even though they all were reluctant to leave but I forced the issue and gave them no choice. Now we just need to find Katsuo, Miyo, and the four CPUs, return and our mission will be truly completed this time. Unfortunately, not long after we got Shino back to the Basilicom, we came across three individuals with a small horde of monsters behind them. I recognize Brave straightaway, an individual wearing yellow armor with red trimming and what's a bit creepy is the huge red tongue that seems to be stuck outside his head and considering I've seen Brave, Judge, and Magic already, this freak must be Trick, and someone I thought was killed during the end of the Guardragon fiasco: CFW Judge.

"You have finally arrived Karen Koizumi. Just like I knew you would."

"That I have CFW Brave. I wish it didn't have to come to this, but it was inevitable. But how is Judge alive? Miyo and Filia told me he was destroyed."

"That was my doing. I hacked into the bomb's controls to project a shield around the user upon detonation. Doing that was incredibly difficult since that blasted girl installed so many subroutines to prevent outside interference. It's just a shame she's too freaking old for my liking. I would've given her my _special _treatment otherwise."

"_Eww!_ Please tell me we are going to kill this guy! I've been wanting to since I first met him!" Izumi exclaims in horror at Trick's statement regarding Miyo as she draws her staff to start battle.

After I see the others draw their weapons, I see Lyrica give me the escape button I gave her and IF walks next to me afterward

"Karen, I still don't trust you, but Nep needs us now, and we can't let these guys slow us down. We'll try to buy you time, and while we fight these guys, you take Gear and the others further in."

"Thank you IF."

"I'm not doing this for you traitor. I'm doing it for Nep. She's spent nearly four years trapped here, she and the others are leaving _today_."

"Got it. Got it. But stay alive IF. You're only good as a diversion as long as you're alive." Since IF is rather adamant on calling me a traitor after everything that has happened since Lastation, I decided to take a traitor's route on telling her to stay alive for everyone's sake.

"Naturally."

After I hear IF say this, I pull Uzume, Nepgear, Uni, Rom, and Ram back in preparation for when everyone else engages the CFWs in battle and when it begins in earnest, we take the opportunity to slip through the exposed left side to get further in the dungeon. When the battle begins, the six of us sneak through the chaos the battle is causing.

Because of the battle, we managed to slip past the three CFWs and we quickly find Miyo when we entered the second half of this dungeon and Nepgear quickly used her anti-petrification magic to save her, with Miyo falling to her knees when it faded.

"Who…? Karen? Rom? Ram?" Miyo weakly mutters as she looks toward all of us

"Yeah, we're all here."

"Good. Look, you need to hurry; I heard that they're close to reviving the Deity of Sin."

"How do you know this Miyo?" I frantically ask, as I hear that our time's running out.

"My implant. It apparently gave me minute capability of awareness when I'm petrified. Listen, you don't have time to worry about me; you have to get to the end _now_!"

"I know Miyo, but I still need to rescue Katsuo."

"Not needed. Someone already freed him. I heard someone fire a sniper rifle at a position underneath him. It instantly released the petrification and even teleported him away with escape button technology."

"Huh? Someone freed him with a modified sniper rifle round? Do you know who it could be?"

"No clue and right now, I don't care. _Go_!" Miyo shouts as she uses the escape button I gave her and escapes. Wow, even when her body is near crippled from the petrification, she still had the strength to argue with me.

"Okay, you heard the lady. Double time, we're forcing our way through." I say as I begin running toward the end of the dungeon "_I thought I was being watched by someone for a while now, and it's likely that person who freed Katsuo. But why is this person hiding in the shadows?_"

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [11:30] December 7th 20XX

Location: [Gamindustri Graveyard's Edge]

Oddly, after we got through the three CFWs, we haven't seen any monsters, so maybe they're all with Brave, Trick and Judge? And after we finally made it to where CFW Trick massacred us six months, I see that the place is empty aside from the CPUs trapped here and considering that we haven't seen Magic yet is extremely suspicious and I can easily tell that she's going to try to ambush us again. She may have gotten me the first time, but she failed the second and she will fail again.

"Hurry and rescue the CPUs." I quietly say to the four Candidates as I see them run toward their sisters "Uzume, keep your guard up. There's no way ASIC would let us pass this easily."

After I see the Candidates rush toward their older sisters and Nepgear pulling out the Sharicite to revive them, Uzume and I position ourselves near the center in preparation for battle.

"I know you're there Magic! Quit the shadow game and show yourself!" I proudly shout out to provoke her into showing herself.

"As you wish."

Immediately after I heard this, I see Magic appear in front of Uzume and Magic uses a beam of magic which sends Uzume flying back to a wall far away from us and I'm surprised to see that the moment she hit the wall, she is restrained to it via a special magic circle, and until she manages to break free, I'm going to be on my own since Nepgear and the others need to remain focused on reviving the CPUs.

"And now it's only you."

"I'm not afraid of you Magic! I beat you once, and I can do it again!"

"How arrogant. I am far stronger than last time as I have gotten more power from our deity. Now watch as I take what's dear to you!"

After saying this, Magic dashes toward Nepgear with her scythe drawn and I rush to intercept her before Nepgear gets hit and I try to quickly position my sword to block her strike but she was able to hit me before I got ready and the hit sent me flying a short bit, but the worst of it was not my being sent flying; it was the fact that her strike tore off my entire sword arm and I see it near where I was before Magic struck me, sword released from its grip. It was the worst thing I had ever experienced in my life and I technically died once already so that's saying something. But if anything, now I know how Hikaru felt during the early days when I met him in Aincrad. He lost his arm protecting me from a monster that slipped past us, but unlike him back then, I can't regain my limbs. What utterly horrified me was that apparently her scythe had magic embedded within it because I saw my severed arm burst aflame and dissipate into nothing, though why it only worked on my severed appendage and not my entire body, I pray I don't find out why.

"_**Karen!**_" I heard Caelus shout this in my mind, and it was quickly followed with a sound similar to what Hikaru did to hide his pain when he was badly hurt back in Aincrad, since she must be going through a lot of pain herself.

"Sister!" I hear Nepgear shout very fearfully as I see her quickly crouch down to me "Rom, hurry, you need to stop the bleeding! Uni, help me buy a bit of time, Ram keep using the Sharicite!"

"Yes, Miss Nepgear." Rom says with her usual quiet tone as she casts some magic on me. It's also obvious that she's fighting the urge to cry.

I see Rom cast some unknown magic and then a tiny magic circle appears around my shoulder which is blocking any more blood from spreading across the ground. But while that was ongoing, I saw Nepgear and Uni trying to stall Magic but none of their attacks are really working because of how strong that woman is.

"Damn it...how did I not see how strong she was?"

"Kyaaah!" After I heard that scream, I saw Nepgear flung in the air which ended up tackling Uni and sending them both near us.

"There has to be some way to fight her." I grimace as I see how bad the situation has escalated: Uzume is restrained and can't join our fight, I lost my sword arm, and Nepgear and Uni both took a bad hit. We're in real trouble since Rom and Ram are the only ones left. It's becoming a damn repeat of six months ago.

* * *

Immediately afterward though, I see someone who looks like a giant lizard humanoid in a manner different from Driin, wearing a dark crimson red armor, jump down from the top of one of the trash walls with a proud battle-hardened shout before he jumped down to ground level.

"Finally, I get a chance to fight for the first time in months! Get ready for a Krogan air-drop!"

After this shout, that person rapidly charged toward Magic and managed to ensure she hit a wall. Afterward, I see what appeared to be an avian humanoid wearing blue and white armor slide down the wall wielding a sniper rifle that appears far more exotic than anything I've seen before and he made it to where he made it to where he made it to where we are within seconds.

"No way...Garrus?! Wrex?!" I'm surprised to hear a sense of nostalgia from Nepgear of all people, and now I know the people Miyo met when she first came to this world, but wow, they are not what I was expecting.

"Good to see you after ten years Nepgear. I would've planned a more intricate reunion but business comes first." Garrus had a rather composed tone in his voice but it still had quite a bit of nostalgia in it.

"Why are you here?"

"Histoire passed us a message when we were in Lastation picking up the custom orders we requested a decade ago, and she asked us to help fight ASIC since she said that there was a group in here. I'll explain the rest when we finish our mission, get your team back in top shape. We'll buy you some time." Garrus explains as he straightens his sniper rifle and aims in Uzume's direction and perfectly shoots the restraint holding her right arm without any collateral damage and that freedom gave Uzume the chance to use some magic to shatter the others and help Wrex to stall Magic "Perfect." I think Garrus actually grinned when he said that and after he freed Uzume, he crouched down to pick up my sword and walked back to me "Do you think you can still fight?"

"I doubt it. This sword was enchanted to let me like a master, but I'm not ambidextrous, so I don't know if my senses can handle it."

"There's no time like the present. As strong as he is, I doubt Wrex can last against a Criminal of the Free World when she's getting so much power somehow." Garrus responds as he sheathes my sword and hands me the sheath, which I try to put around my belt.

"Rom, do you think this magic will hold?"

"I believe so. But please be careful Miss Karen." Rom says with a sad, quiet frown as she walks over to Ram to help with reviving the CPUs.

When Rom leaves, I quickly lose the willpower I had been using to hold back the urge to scream in agony and I grip what little remains of my right shoulder and cringe a good deal. After that scream, I see Nepgear and Uni crouch down next to me. And immediately after, I see that Wrex and Uzume were forced back when Magic unleashed some sort of electrical output attack which is stopping them from getting close. After seeing this, Garrus puts his sniper rifle on his back and climbs his way back up the trash wall to set up a perch to handle his sniping.

"Karen, why did you protect me there? After everything I've done to you!"

"Nepgear...I've done so many questionable things since I got here and I hurt people who care for me and people I care for. I'm putting an end to that, no matter what happens; even if I have to lose my arm for good. I have been a leader for five years, and sometimes we make sacrifices that last a whole lifetime. My sacrificing my arm saved my sister's life. I deem that as a satisfactory exchange."

"Sister…" I hear Nepgear whimper with quite a bit of sniffling.

"Nepgear, Uni, just focus on saving your sisters; let Uzume, Wrex, Garrus, and I handle this." I weakly groan as I try to activate HDD so I can contribute atleast a little to this fight and while it succeeds, it feels like my heart is collapsing upon itself trying to sustain this form "_I can't let myself stop here. I need to go all the way._"

"_**Karen, no! You can barely sustain normal HDD right now! You could end up killing yourself if you force your body to endure Next Form!**_"

"_Maybe so._" I weakly say in my head before remembering a skill Miyo made for me a while back and I look toward Nepgear "Nepgear, this might be a bit strange to ask, but can I ask for your help?"

"Name it."

"I need to use one of my own skills on you: Energy Drain. It's not powerful, but it drains strength from a target and gives me that strength. I need as much as strength as I can right now."

"I understand, hurry and do it before Magic recovers."

After getting the rather rushed confirmation from Nepgear, I scramble my head for how to use the skill and after remembering, I activate the skill to drain energy from her and transfer it to myself which succeeds as I feel better from the influx of energy though Nepgear slightly swayed from side to side since I took quite a bit of strength from her.

"Sorry for doing this Nepgear, but there isn't any other option right now."

"Don't worry about it. Just...go." Nepgear weakly says as she walks, with Uni's help, toward Neptune and the others.

After getting some of Nepgear's excess energy, I feel my heart beginning to ease up on the pain somewhat and I link up with Uzume and Wrex so we can coordinate our attacks to stall Magic and buy Nepgear's group time to revive the CPUs with the Sharicite.

"You ready Wrex? Uzume? We need to buy time for the Candidates to revive their sisters."

"I've spent a thousand years in battle, I can handle delaying one single enemy." Wrex grins as he pulls out an assault rifle colored silver and blue that was on his back and it got quite bigger when he drew it and pushed a few buttons. The design is rather exotic but generic of what I've seen of rifles, but instead of a single barrel to fire shrapnel, there are six on a rotating frame.

"Er, what in the world is that?"

"This is one of my favorites: the M-84 Revenant. Hard to believe it was created by a Geth of all things, but I'm not complaining one bit. It's a significant upgrade over the M-76; while it's not as powerful, it has far less recoil and it holds far more thermal clips. That's a suitable compromise in my eyes. You two handle melee, I'll give you cover."

Wrex quickly unleashes a barrage of shrapnel in Magic's direction though she projects some kind of circular shield which turns each and every bullet into dust and while he had her distracted, Uzume and I dash to attack her from the rear though she unleashes another electrical attack which forces us to withdraw and hover back to Wrex.

"We can't get close to her if she keeps using that attack and her barrier prevents ranged attacks."

"Says you. Nothing can stop a krogan when he enters blood rage." Wrex retorts as he prepares himself to charge and dashes off toward Magic.

What surprises me is that he got hit by lightning twice and he completely shrugged it off as if it didn't even hurt him. Because of how indomitable the guy seemed to be, he managed to grab Magic and ram her against the wall again.

"Let go of me you insect!" After shouting this, Magic used the same beam she used against Uzume which sent him back toward us.

"Okay, this is starting to make me mad, so I'm going to go all out!" Uzume declares with a decree of irritation before transforming into Next Form.

After the transformation, Uzume dashed toward Magic and unleashes a rather large barrage of punches even though she's being hit by lightning and although it's taking its toll on Uzume, I can't see Magic get any weaker; which makes no sense since she was defeated with far less back in Leanbox. However, I happen to notice some sort of orb hidden in a wall near Magic which is glowing a very shadowy black color and I can see the faintest of beams hit Magic

"_That's it! That's how she's so much stronger here! She must be tapping into magic which rejuvenates her strength!_" I exclaim in my mind as I understand the situation now "Wrex, Magic is having her strength augmented through that orb in the wall! Fire some shrapnel at it."

* * *

Wrex looks at where I was pointing and swiftly fires at it with his Revenant which quickly destroys it and I see Magic show a mild expression of fear which must mean that my suspicion was right and that orb was important to her. Immediately after, I shout out to Uzume and throw Benten toward her as best I can. She swiftly grabs it after making a few backflips and she glides back toward Magic and impales her with my sword. The result ended in Magic losing her life and fades into nothingness. With this battle over, we've interrupted the ritual of Arfoire's resurrection. I take a deep breath of relief at how the battle is concluded when the four revived Goddesses walk over to me but their expressions are hardly welcoming.

"Explain yourselves. There shouldn't be any CPUs aside from me, Neptune, Blanc, Vert, and our sisters." Noire demands rather seriously.

"To put it in small words, I am an ancient goddess given new life. I am Console Patron Unit Aqua Heart. My companion here is my younger sister: Console Patron Unit Orange Heart."

"Impossible. Orange and Aqua Heart led Astrocade and Magnavox which were destroyed a very long time ago. History says that all five CPUs lost their lives during the old war." Blanc says with a quiet tone.

"Well believe it, as it is the truth. But let's not play twenty questions here."

"I most heartily agree with her statement. We should make our way out of this place and return to civilization. We can ask our questions when we recover our strength." Vert proudly nods as her HDD disengages and her human form is revealed, with her having long blonde hair and blue eyes. Immediately after, she lightly grips her forehead "Ugh, being imprisoned in place for nearly four years certainly was taxing. I could use your help Aqua Heart."

"Certainly Lady Green Heart." I say as I support her with my only available arm, though I immediately run out of time for HDD and I revert to my human form and it becomes much tougher to support Vert as we both walk.

"Please, we're all kindred spirits here, just call me Vert. I apologize that rescuing us cost you your right arm."

"Don't worry about it Vert." I somberly respond to her bringing up my wounds.

Immediately after I helped Vert, I see Neptune, Noire, and Blanc revert to human form and are quickly helped by Wrex, Garrus, and Uzume.

"Huh. This reminds me of ten years ago. You're just as tiny as ever I see." Wrex chuckles as he puts Neptune on his shoulder.

"Don't call me tiny!" Neptune weakly exclaims as she kicks Wrex, though considering how little force she put into it, it likely didn't even tickle him, especially since I heard him laugh when that 'kick' hit him.

"Nepgear, Uni, Rom, Ram, we'll have to depend on you until we regroup with the others."

When we begin to walk toward the exit, I hear a cacophonous voice ring out in my mind

"_**DON'T THINK YOU'VE WON CAELUS! YOU'VE ONLY DELAYED THE INEVITABLE! MY RESURRECTION WILL HAPPEN AND I WILL DESTROY YOUR WORLD AGAIN! I WILL NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AGAIN. YOUR DESTRUCTION IS ENSURED! I WILL KILL YOU CAELUS!**_"

After hearing this person shout in my mind, I close my eyes to try refocusing my mind and undo the damage that raucous voice did to me.

"_Caelus?_"

"_**That was the Deity of Sin: Arfoire. I'd recognize her voice anywhere. Looks like we have no time to celebrate if she's going to return. We need to regain our strength quickly and confront her, wherever she'll be. It's obvious she holds a vendetta because of how I sealed her away so long ago.**_"

"Is something the matter Aqua Heart?" Vert asks since I had abruptly stopped when Arfoire talked with me.

"Uh. It's nothing, I just had a small pain spasm. And please, just call me Karen. If you want me to call you by your name, I would like you to do the same." I lie since I don't want to worry the CPUs right now since we just freed them. Right now, they need recuperation, not increased anxiety.

We slowly proceed through the area and make it to where we left the others during their battle with the CFWs and I can see them trying to lick their wounds though IF quickly got up and dashed toward us

"Nep! You're free and...what happened to you?" IF exclaims as she sees us supporting the Goddesses and she apparently noticed my missing appendage.

"Glad to see you Iffy." Neptune's voice was rather weak but it's obvious that she's trying to appear energetic in front of her.

"She lost her arm protecting me IF."

"Oh..."

"Listen, I hate to interrupt this heart-warming reunion, but we have to leave now. We can have our discussions in the Basilicom." I say with an irritable tone as I know that Arfoire's returning; we need to prepare ourselves.

"Fair enough, but who are you two?" IF shrugs but looks toward Garrus and Wrex.

"This is Urdnot Wrex and I'm Garrus Vakarian. We used to work for Histoire a little over ten years ago but we left her employ to travel. But she contacted us a while back asking us to help defeat the enemy Thraaklon was preparing for. So we came to fight. But come along, we need to get these girls rest."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [15:30] December 7th 20XX

Location: [Planeptune Basilicom]

After spending over seven hours fighting ASIC, we reached the entrance of the Graveyard with Rom having to reapply the barrier magic over my shoulder twice since it apparently has a rather low life span and entered the portal to return to Planeptune. The first sight we see after passing through is Histoire wearing a big smile when she glances at the four CPUs.

"Excellent, you've rescued all four CPUs and we can truly begin undoing the damage inflicted onto our nations. Karen, I see you have suffered yet again trying to rescue our CPUs; first you nearly lost your life fighting CFW Judge and now you have lost your arm. I am deeply sorry."

"Don't worry about it Histoire. It was my own decision to protect Nepgear that caused me to lose my arm. Everyone, I need to talk with Histoire privately, so could you please leave? Most of you need medical attention." I say with a grave tone at the talk of my arm and I am rather serious when I speak to the others, not wanting them around when I talk about what I heard before.

After saying this to the group; Neptune, Noire, Blanc, Vert, IF, Nisa, Gust, RED, Falcom, Cave, and Lyrica leave immediately, though it took a bit of force on both my part and Histoire's to get Nepgear, Uni, Rom, Ram, Izumi, Filia, and Compa to leave but Garrus, Wrex, and Uzume refuse to leave no matter what. Considering Uzume's status in this situation, I can let her stay since she must have first-hand knowledge about the Deity of Sin, but no matter what I tried, neither Garrus or Wrex would even budge either so I just gave up.

"Histoire. The situation here is about to get worse: ASIC has succeeded in creating the ritual which will revive their deity. Although we interrupted their ritual with the destruction of all four CFWs, we can't stop Arfoire from being revived."

"That is concerning. Do you know how long we have until Arfoire returns? We need time for our CPUs to recover from their ordeal."

"No idea. We will need to maintain a vigil and keep alert."

"I suppose we have little other option. But please let me offer compensation for the injury you suffered on our behalf." Histoire says as she hovers a short distance away to a wall and presses a button nearby and shows two holographic displays "Ophelia, Miyo, I want to talk to you both in person. Could you please come to the meeting room?"

"Got it Histoire." They say in unison as they disappear from the screen.

"Miyo? Histoire, is that the same girl we met ten years ago?" Garrus inquires as his mouth opens a tiny bit out of what I can only presume is surprise.

"It is. Miyo has grown up a great deal since you both left on your travels. She has actually been traveling with Izumi, the girl with wings, for six years so she wasn't exactly alone much."

I can see Garrus's mouth open a tiny bit to talk but he's interrupted by the door to the room open and both Ophelia and Miyo enter

"You called for us Histoire? What did-Karen!" Ophelia asks before exclaiming in horror.

"Karen, how did this happen to you?! And-...hold on." Miyo demands rather rapidly before stopping in her tracks as she blinks a few times and looks Wrex and Garrus over a little "No way...Wrex? Garrus?"

"It really is you. Histoire was not kidding when she said you have grown up."

"I...damn it; I truly wish that the situation was better here, especially since I haven't seen either of you in ten years! But I have priorities to deal with. We need to get Karen a new arm. Robotic is my speciality."

"Miyo, I do respect your skill with tech, but a bare robotic arm? I know Karen and it'd be baring in her eyes. Let's focus on an advanced plastic material for the frame. Inside and out."

"Ophelia, I'm a tech expect from a civilization famous for science. Your gauntlet technology is impressive yes, but it is still amateurish. I upgraded its software and hardware significantly and I even crafted the mechanical side of a neutron bomb. You can't beat that."

"Well-" Ophelia tries to speak up before I step in to stop it here. I knew that these two would end up becoming rivals, but I sincerely hope that these two are able to keep it friendly.

"Enough. Injured patient here needs new arm. Instead of competing to treat your patient, why don't you combine your knowledge?" I say with a bitter frown as I basically scold Ophelia and Miyo and tell them to work together.

"Hmm. Maybe she has a point. We need to get this dealt with fast. Miyo, I think we can both agree that Karen needs an arm she can fully use. What if we combine advanced technology for the frame with materials that can mimic skin tissue forming the cover if that's possible?"

"Yeah, I think that could work as a final project, but let's focus on the bare essentials for now. Let's get to work on this immediately." Miyo grins as she quickly takes off though Ophelia stops her just as quickly.

"Actually Miyo, wait a bit. I want to show you all something. I had been working on a new invention and I'm about to run tests. Come with me." After hearing this from Ophelia; Miyo, Garrus, Wrex, Uzume, and I follow her to see what she has been working on in our absence.

* * *

Ophelia leads us through the Basilicom and beckons inside one of the labs. When we walk in, we see Shino sitting down on a chair wearing some sort of headpiece blocking her sight which is hooked up to some massive machine.

"Er, what is this thing Ophelia?"

"A while back, I asked Histoire to show me how she was able to form a connection to our world and I think I've managed to replicate the procedure. I just don't know what will happen and Shino volunteered to go through this. I have a suspicion that if we can somehow break through the dimensional veil, we might be able to find a way home. Now let's start the test."

After this speech, Ophelia pulls a lever on the machine and presses a few buttons and begins speaking in sequence almost like a machine "Okay. We're at twenty percent power. Forty. Sixty five. Eighty. One hundred. Need to maintain a stable power balance. Okay, we're almost there. Piercing the dimensional boundary." After this, I see Ophelia rapidly press buttons at the keyboard to the machine "Oh no no no no. Not good. Not good. Get clear!" Ophelia shouts in a very flustered manner which is instantly followed by an explosion which blasted us all out.

"Wow, it's hard to believe an explosion of all things is what makes me feel most nostalgic." Garrus states with a tone that truly shows his surprise about the matter.

"Explain what happened. I don't like things exploding in front of me." Wrex demands rather indignantly.

"The machine overloaded after we pierced the barrier. There was too much energy for the capacitors to handle." Ophelia explains with a mild frown as she goes back into the room for some reason with Miyo following after her "Huh?! It-It worked?!"

Ophelia quickly walked back out supporting a girl with purple hair and eyes who is coughing a great deal from all of the smoke that was in the room

"Geez, what in the world happened in there?" After saying this, she rubs her eyes from how she was in a room full of smoke "Huh? Karen? Ophelia? Where am I?"

"Haruka? Ophelia, what gives? Why is she here?" I demand rather angrily. We were supposed to find a way for us all to return to our world, not do an exchange system.

"Well, it appears that singular bursts exchange people between our two worlds. If we want to return and not trap anyone here, we'll need to refine the process."

"Er, please tell me what in the world is happening here. And...what happened to your arm Karen?"

"That's too long a story to explain here Haruka. I have a room here, I'll explain it there."

"If you don't mind me, I'm going to head to the infirmary here, I've been running out of medicine and paste for a while now. I need to get more. Come along Wrex, I don't want a repeat of Uslin." Garrus says with a groan as he talks of what I presume to be a place they have gone to in their journey.

"Oh come on, that was their fault."

"Er, what happened at this Uslin?" I curiously ask, as my mind is wondering what in the world happened.

"Trust me, you _don't_ want to know." Garrus says with a grave tone as he walks away with Wrex.

After those two left, Uzume reapplies the barrier magic Rom has been using since it was beginning to fade. Immediately afterward, Miyo walks out of the smoke filled room with a mild frown

"That machine is fried and according to what my implant tells me, it somehow significantly strengthened the dimensional veil between your world and this one. It must have been a defensive mechanism or something. But you've impressed me Ophelia, you've gotten closer than I was able to."

"Thank you for the compliment Miyo. My sole desire is to get us all home and while this technically failed, I still succeeded since I got one of us out of this world. I just need to "

"I suppose so, though your goal is much more difficult now. But if you'd allow it, I'd like to help with this project. I've been wanting to do something like this for so long now."

"I'd like that, but let's first focus on constructing Karen's new arm."

"Yeah, let's go."

"Uzume, I want you to help Miyo and Ophelia. Find a way to integrate that barrier magic with my new arm."

"So you want to have the arm's mechanical underbelly to have a spell caster feature? Maybe if we program it to only use that one spell and keep it active at all times, it's certainly possible. Let's get going, we need to get finished fast." The conclusion to this statement had Ophelia, Miyo, and Uzume leaving to a different part of the Basilicom to begin work on my arm and I guide Haruka to the room that Ophelia made for me here.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [17:00] December 7th 20XX

Location: [Planeptune Basilicom - Karen's Room]

After I brought Haruka to my room, I explained the situation to her which took longer than I thought but I suppose that when you try to explain six months worth of events, it becomes complicated, but her reaction to it all was not what I was expecting.

"Ah. I see. Makes sense."

"You're not shocked by this at all Haruka?"

"After everything I've been through and seen over the last four years, I guess I'm just hard to scare when it comes to new events. I just didn't know what the heck was happening. But your arm?"

"I got wrapped in a very deadly battle. I had to move quickly to protect a friend and it made me lose my arm."

"Ehehe, that does sound like you. You're just like Hikaru when it comes to protecting people. He lost his limbs so many times in Aincrad it's crazy and aside from that one time when we tested him, he never let us see him in pain. But um; if you and Ophelia are here, are Mamoru, Katsuo, Kazuto, and Yuuki here too?"

"Yeah, they're all here, but they're undergoing treatment right now. They'll be fine though."

"Glad to hear. But I feel compelled to ask. What is my role in all this?"

"Your role" I simply mutter since that response caught me off guard "Weeelll; we already did most of the work, but we just need to fight someone akin to a god. And we already dethroned and killed two, so what's one more?"

"Haha, true. Akihiko Kayaba fell against our combined efforts and our unity with XANA led to Sugou dying. While I feel sympathy toward Kayaba since he's the reason we all met, I hate Sugou with a fiery passion. His experiments pissed me off when I figured out what he was doing."

"Don't remind me; I hate that sick freak, especially since he practically turned me into a drooling monkey. He deserved to die."

"Anyway uh; is there any food nearby? I could use a bite to eat, my stomach is rumbling like mad."

"Sure, I could use a little food myself. I haven't ate since this morning." I heartily chuckle in response before I walk over to the wall intercom and ask Histoire if she could have food brought for us and she quickly obliged. She even said she'd pass word to the others and have them join me here since most of the bedrooms can function as makeshift dining rooms.

* * *

After a few minutes pass of us preparing this room to work as a dining room, the others enter the room and they thankfully don't freak about the matter of my arm, though their expressions do it well enough as they all look rather uneasy

"We overheard what happened from Miyo and Ophelia. We'll keep quiet so you can have some peace of mind." Mamoru says with a mildly perturbed tone as he explains that they all know that I lost my arm.

"Thanks Mamoru; I really do need that kind of thing right now."

"I can only imagine. And it's good to see you again Haruka. A part of me just hates that you're stuck here like us. But there's no point crying over spilt milk."

"Yeah. It's quite a surprise being here, but I'm not going to complain. I just hate that I couldn't help more in your battle."

"Speaking of that, Karen; you were at the heart of all this, are we finished?" Kazuto inquires with an inquisitive glance.

I visibly grimace at the mention of the question and I exchange glances between everyone before I lightly grip my forehead with my left arm though it feels very weird not doing it with my right since it's gone "No. We still have to fight ASIC's deity since the four CFWs started the ritual which brings about her revival. Even though we interrupted the ritual, we still have to fight her."

"Damn it. These ASIC bastards are tenacious, I'll give them that. You want us to help you?" Katsuo lightly snarls when he hears of ASIC's continued irritance before speaking rather sincerely about offering his help.

"I appreciate it, but I feel like that part should be left to us Goddesses. I'm just avoiding telling them all this right now since they need to recuperate."

"Goddess?"

"This world has a small group of individuals with powers beyond belief. Let me show you what I'm talking about." I say as I close my eyes and activate HDD but as soon as my transformation was concluded, I cringe somewhat in pain since my body isn't in top shape right now.

"What in the world?! You...Karen...how…?" Despite what she said earlier, Haruka utterly freaked out when she saw me transform.

"I recently gained the abilities of the Console Patron Units or Goddesses as the public like to call them, and I've been able to utilize their abilities though I can only maintain it for a few minutes at best. In addition, my personality changes a great deal when I'm in this form; which I'm not exactly amused about, but I can't change it."

"And that new voice of yours...that's going to take some getting used to. I'm having trouble matching such an elegant voice with you; considering how you act usually."

"I know Haruka; it surprises me as well sometimes. I've never really told anyone this, but I feel very awkward in this form. I have full awareness of what I say and do, but they're not mine; not truly. Even when I fight, it's...urg..." When I explained this to everyone, it did feel like I wasn't the one talking as my voice and personality is so different from how I usually sound and act. The only thing that is truly mine here are my words, and even then, I don't feel like I'm in control.

"If you feel awkward being a Console Patron Unit, can't you stop being one?"

"Not likely Haruka. While I still possess my human form, I'm not purely human anymore." I say as I revert back to my human form.

"Let's not talk about this anymore; let's focus on getting food in our guts, we've all been through a lot lately." Mamoru interjects as he steers the conversation in a different direction to my relief.

"I very much agree. I haven't ate since I got petrified back in Gapain Field." Kazuto nods in affirmation about the subject.

When Nepgear and Uni came with our food and left; we began eating though it seemed like all of our appetites, save Haruka, were hardly in peak condition and I presume it's because of how we're far from finished right now.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [18:00] December 7th 20XX

After we ate our food, I went to Histoire and told her of the situation; and naturally, she was hardly amused that the CPUs are being forced to go into battle so soon after we got them out of the Graveyard but she knew the score. What did catch me off-guard a little were two things I heard from both Caelus and Histoire: What I heard from Caelus was that all of Arfoire's vassals would be reincarnated prior to her revival and they would have to be defeated in order to truly slay Arfoire; and Arfoire's four vassals are CFW Magic, Brave, Judge, and Trick. We'll have to fight them again.

Histoire's part in the news was that she prepared two special rooms for all of us and she led us all there. When we all got there, we discovered that Histoire brought us all to an outdoor hot spring that she added two sides for: one for the girls and one for the guys.

When we entered our individual sides, we find that the spring has been divided into different sections makes a degree of privacy between us all if we want to be in different parts. RED immediately leapt into action to try claiming 'wifeys' and I told her to cut it out or I'd paralyze her and throw her over the wall which did a good job of shutting her up. Once that was over with, we all sat down in different areas of the spring since this spring is rather massive in size. We actually began spreading out with Noire, Neptune, and Blanc in one small section; Nepgear, Uni, Rom, Ram, IF, Compa, Falcom, Nisa, Gust, RED, Cave, and Lyrica sitting in a few different sections very close to each other; Filia, Izumi, Haruka, and Yuuki are sitting down together, and then there's me, Vert, and Uzume. Even though there are dividers in the water creating these sections, we're still close enough to hear each other talk.

"What is wrong with that girl? Although it's not as bad as Neptune, her mind clearly must be damaged."

"I take offence to that Noire! My cute noggin is not damaged in any way!"

"Noire, you're too merciful. Everything about Neptune is damaged, not just her mind." Blanc interjects with a quiet tone, with her greatly insulting Neptune by saying that.

Their conversation continues in this way, which appears to be slowing escalating into an brawl that I hope someone will prevent before that happens, and is keeping everyone else focused on them though the three of us take that opportunity to speak more privately.

"Say Karen, now that we're back in safe hands, I'd like to ask about how you two are goddesses. I thought it was only us four and our younger sisters."

"I guess I should explain. It began when I tried saving you all six months ago. CFW Judge practically killed me but I was saved by an ancient goddess. She merged her life with mine to save both our lives."

"Wow, that's incredible. What is the name of this goddess you speak of? I know you go by Aqua Heart, but history of the old days is vague at best."

"**I am Console Patron Unit: Caelus. Former ruler of Magnavox. Karen has been acting as my avatar though I have elected to act as an advisor as of late. This is my younger sister: Uzume Tennoboshi. Former ruler of Astrocade.**"

"Fascinating. According to what we know of the old CPUs, all five nations were destroyed by ASIC. I had presumed that the CPUs died with them."

"**While my younger sisters did indeed die, I faked my death since I was in bad shape; I didn't have the strength to return to my people so I reverted to a disc form to draw out my life and hope someone would find me before that day came. I won't say how Uzume survived however. She deserves to have some secrets.**" After Caelus said this, I saw Uzume leave to a different section after reapplying the barrier magic over my shoulder.

"Understandable. I don't wish to intrude. But I must say; your skin is surprisingly soft Karen, though it certainly has gone through wear and tear."

"Thanks for the compliment Vert but-kya!" I was a bit embarrassed when someone complimented my skin of all things since I'm akin to a tomboy when I suddenly felt something touch my back making me yelp out in surprise and I heavily blushed when I saw what was touching me.

"Do you not like massages?" Vert asks with her head tilted in mild confusion to my yelp.

"Er, I do, but this is an extremely awkward kind Vert. When is it considered acceptable to use your chest as a massage tool and not your hands?!"

"Huh?" Vert sincerely sounds confused for a moment before looking down and lightly gasps "Oh, I'm very sorry. My senses aren't at their absolute best right now. I never intended to make you feel uncomfortable."

"It's...well...if it was an accident, I guess I can let it slide." It felt like I was squealing like a mouse out of how embarrassed Vert made me feel over what was happening here.

"Let me try again. I'm more aware of my senses and I'll avoid making that mistake again."

"Er...sure. If you're sure that won't happen, then go ahead." I weakly mutter as my embarrassment is preventing me from speaking with my usual confidence level.

After saying this, I feel Vert's fingers on my back massaging it rather gently. Now that I'm assured that she's using her hands to massage my back, I can actually relax a little.

"Oh, that is heavenly. The last time I've had something like this done was when I was eleven, nearly six years ago. And that was before my life practically went to hell and I met all my friends." I can quickly feel this massage erasing all of the tension my body has been going through lately and my muscles are relaxing a great deal "Thanks Vert."

"You're quite welcome. But there is one thing I wish to ask. You appeared rather frantic back when we were in the Graveyard. You can claim it was just because it was dangerous, and while that may be an actual factor, I feel like there's something else on your mind."

"You're just being silly. Who in their right mind would want to stay in a dungeon to talk?"

"You're doing an even worse job of lying now. Just tell me, I know you're hiding something."

"I-I er…" I mumble before deeply sighing since the frustration of everything that's been happening lately is testing my patience "Okay, I didn't want to tell you guys this since you need to recover, but our fight against ASIC is not over yet. The Deity of Sin will be returning."

"Ah. So that explains your desire to keep quiet, and while I appreciate you took our condition into consideration, it was still wrong of you to do that. We can't afford to become complacent when we still haven't won yet." Even though Vert had a rather gentle tone in her voice, she hit me on the head rather strongly "I'll tell Noire, Blanc, and Neptune this after our soak here is finished."

"Fair enough. Anyway, I'm not exactly good with my hands, or rather: hand, but do you want me to wash your back?"

"If you think you can handle it Karen, I certainly wouldn't mind. But don't overexert yourself for my sake."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." I lightly sigh as I grab a nearby rag and try to wash Vert's back with my left arm "Let me know if it hurts at all, I rarely used this arm for anything. The only time I used it are when I'm using two handed objects."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll do fine."

* * *

POV: Male side

When the girls entered their side of the onsen, the ten of us entered our side and aside from Garrus and Wrex, who are still wearing their armor for some reason, we all reduced ourselves to towels. In fact, those two refuse to even get in the water.

"Garrus, Wrex, why aren't you two taking it easy and let loose? After the graveyard, we all need to unwind." I inquire since we're all in the water relaxing except for those two. I happened to learn their names when Ophelia and Miyo passed by us earlier.

"Trust me Viperia, you don't want to see either of us underneath our armor. You'd have trouble sleeping at night. I'm doing you a favor, besides, we have different ways to unwind."

I immediately go wide-eyed at the mention of that last comment and gulp rather uncomfortably "Well; okay then. I'll drop the matter. But if you don't my asking, who are you five? All I really know is that you were helping Karen." I nervously gulped before I looked toward the five people that were in the Graveyard.

"We're former members of Leanbox's Special Missions Department. We left to join our leader, who serves Lady Aqua Heart. But I should introduce myself, I am Hamil Tayama, I work as Lady Filia's second in command after she reorganized our ranks, though Leonard once held that position. My comrades here are Adelphos Furukawa, Eldin Sakue, Leonard Anami, and Reiner Nakata."

"Pleased to meet you all. I'll be upfront and say that as long as you're loyal to Karen, I'll treat you as a comrade-in-arm. I'm Mamoru Nakasone."

"You won't need to worry about that. We have been suffering from issues of faith and fate proceeded to place us in the presence of not one, but two divine goddesses. And the fact that our leader swore her service to her means that we follow her even if she left the SMD."

"So you follow your leader even when she leaves the organization. That certainly is very admirable, if not hasty Leonard."

"Indeed Sir Nakasone, but Green Heart has been missing for three years and her absence was creating fractures in the SMD which will take a great deal of restoration. But I know that Lady Green Heart can handle such a task. We just won't be around to help, we're sworn to aid our squad leader through thick and thin."

"Makes sense Reiner, I guess. But you all look rather old, you sure you can handle battle?" The moment I finished voicing that last part, I can just picture myself getting my rear end kicked yet again.

* * *

Which does happen since Leonard used magic which sent me backward some and the impact made me hit my head on the edge which really damn stung.

"OW! Was that truly necessary for one comment?!"

"It's what you get for insulting members of Leanbox's elite forces. We all trained for years to earn our place. Even though Lady Filia is much younger than us, she has earned her place because of her strength and discipline. Although her lack of inhibitions is offsetting to those who don't know her, she is a model soldier and officer. However, she seldom takes direct involvement in our assignments. She trusts us to succeed without her assistance and we respect her dedication to her ideal of preserving peace in the realm, no matter what." Eldin was the one who spoke up and his voice certainly did befit that of an old man. However, he spoke of Filia in a rather proud way, almost as if she's like a surrogate daughter to him.

"Impressive. So she uses the Laissez-faire leadership style. Karen would never use such a style since she went to great lengths to oversee every operation she was involved with even though it was dangerous. I suppose you would call it a paternalistic style."

"What is this Laiso-fairy you speak of?" Adelphos inquires with a curious tone at what Mamoru said in regard to history we lived through in Aincrad.

"It's Laissez-faire Adelphos, it's a term from my world; it's a style of leadership where the leader rarely get involved in the activities of their group yet is available for feedback when asked. However, the style generally requires independent action from everyone involved, knowledge of the field, and the fact that they must be able to solve problems on their own. It's rather controversial and seldom used in my world."

"Ah. I see now. Lady Filia indeed works in that way, but she always did accompany us on missions that required us to assemble our full ranks. However, even then, she always worked independently from us. But when we weren't in such situations, she worked alone."

"I'd like to ask you all something though. Do you know why Filia left the SMD if she was so dedicated to the organization?" Mamoru asks with a degree of curiosity and I'm a little interested as well.

"Filia is committed and passionate when it comes to enacting justice. While she tries to avoid it as much as possible, she has little qualm ending the lives of the few to save many. And all of Gamindustri was at risk with ASIC active. Atleast, I imagine that's what she'd tell others, but a reason was that her father got infected by that Guardragon's attack. She didn't want to let that stand so she left and save him, even though it was in vain at the end."

"Ouch. That must have been unpleasant for her to deal with."

"I think we should stop talking about this, Filia hates it when we talk about her. Besides, we all need to unwind from what time has done to us all."

"I won't complain about that. We could all use some R&amp;R." Mamoru agrees rather wholeheartedly about the matter of unwinding.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [20:00] December 7th 20XX

After I got out of the hot spring with the other girls, I saw Garrus and Wrex standing around a corner and beckon me to walk toward them both.

"Good timing Aqua Heart, there's actually something I want to show you. It's a place that holds a lot of precious nostalgia for me, Wrex, Miyo, and a lot of other people."

"Please, just call me Karen, It's a little strange being called that."

"Duly noted. Anyway, come on."

We walk through the Basilicom and we eventually come across a rather fancy pair of doors that appear to be made of stainless steel and we walk inside though the aura of the place immediately makes me feel uneasy for some reason.

"What is this place Garrus?" I ask as I look around the room which appears to have a good number of what appear to be capsules embedded in the walls.

"This is an indoor cemetery; Histoire uses it to house people who had very close relations to the goddesses in this nation when they die. The last person who earned the honor of being kept here was Warlord Thraaklon, our mentor in this world."

"I've heard about this guy quite a few times but I barely know anything. All I really know is that he died about a decade ago, and he came from some other world."

"Yeah, that's the extent of what we know ourselves. Thraaklon kept an absolute ton of stuff from everyone he worked with since he'd be delving into who knows how long of memory, but he taught us what we needed to know. If anything, Miyo was the one who needed his training the most because of how young she was. I would've stayed to raise her, but Thraaklon left a message for us to find a shaman he was acquainted with. He wanted to meet Thraaklon, but since he was dead, we went instead. It took us several years deciphering dozens of clues to find him and get the information he had."

"What information did the shaman have for Thraaklon?"

"To little surprise, the shaman who was close with Thraaklon died an extremely long time ago and we met with one of his descendants. Although she's rather young, she's a prodigy with the shamanic arts. She and her family had been gathering tomes and creating magic for generations for a singular purpose: To leave this world. She was extremely determined to do this even though no one in her family would know what to do outside this world because of how many generations have passed in their family."

"So does she have a way to open the dimensional veil?"

"Not exactly. Based on what she said, all they've been doing is developing theory and they've never tested any of their spells because Thraaklon said there was a requirement to handle the matter which no one really knows about. Thraaklon claims that in order to do this, it requires an extremely strong magic spell and very advanced technology to stabilize it. Of course, he likely theorized this so long ago that it may not be necessary. But if it's true, I think we'd need something akin to Miyo's skill to create the necessary tech, but that's only if she has access to the full extent of her people's technology. To be honest, while I wouldn't want to keep her trapped here, I'd kill to have Tali with us."

"Who's this Tali?"

"She's a very close friend of mine; we fought side by side for a number of years with humanity's strongest soldier: Commander Shepard. Now, what name did she have after settling on Rannoch...?" Garrus has a rather firm smile before apparently trying to recall her name; why he forgot, I don't really know "Oh yeah. she and every other Quarian abandoned their ship names since they got their homeworld back. Her name's Tali'Zorah. When we met her, she went by Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, and when we reunited two years later, she went by Tali'Zorah vas Neema. Her people, the quarians, are extremely good at technological feats and Tali is one of their best. It's why a part of me wishes she was here even though I really don't." After saying that he stopped for a moment "This sounds way more confusing than it should be."

"Interesting, but I noticed you say one title with 'nar', and another with 'vas'; is there a meaning for that?"

"Yeah, there is. I don't know their language well, but apparently nar means 'child of' which was made for the fact that the Quarians were living in ships for three centuries, and vas means 'crew of'. In small words, Tali was born on a ship called the Rayya and she joined the crew of the ship: Neema to keep genetic diversity among her people."

"Genetic diversity? Ya know what, ignore that question. I don't want to know, right now atleast."

"Fair enough. Anyway, come on, let's give our blessings to the old fool."

* * *

We walk through the morgue and I quickly hear someone sniffling around the corner and when we get close, I see Miyo standing in front of an intricately designed capsule and I quickly see her fighting back the desire to cry. I'm a little surprised to see her here since she said she was going to work on my new arm with Ophelia and Uzume.

"Miyo, what are you doing here?"

"Huh?" Miyo mumbles as she looks in my direction and lightly gasps, followed by her rubbing her eyes and cheeks to hide the tears that were flowing "I could ask you the same." Although she obviously tried to sound rather detached, her emotions betrayed her as her voice is rather drowning in unease.

"I asked first, and besides, you said you were going to commit your time to help Ophelia and Uzume."

"I...I needed a-; no, I shouldn't lie about it." Miyo obviously considered making a white lie about why she's here but she shaked her head and looked at me rather seriously "Karen, I haven't been here in nearly a decade and I atleast need to visit Thraaklon's burial place, besides, Ophelia has a good grasp on what we need to do in the project so I trust her with this. Anyway, he saved my life when I first entered this world and although it ended rather prematurely because of his own death, he did his utmost to teach me how to survive here when it comes to battle. And when Thraaklon died, Nepgear did her best teaching me more conventional skills like cooking before the memory of this became too much for me to bear back when I was a child. That was my main reason for leaving, but I also wanted to do what he had done for so long: Traveling and saving people who get stranded here."

After explaining this, Miyo presses her hand against the plaque and deeply inhales and exhales "It's hard to believe ten years have passed sometimes. I'll be frank, I think that I'll be staying here in Gamindustri even if a way to leave is made."

"You're not going to return to your family in your world?"

"I...It's unlikely Karen. I was only six when I was forced out of my world and I've aged ten years. I'd likely horrify my family if I return as I am. I feel it's better if I stay here."

"Miyo, do you truly think taking the option to see their daughter away from them is better?" Garrus interjects rather solemnly.

"I-Damn it Garrus; what am I supposed to say to that? I should be feeling nothing but extreme joy seeing you and Wrex after ten long years, but what I'm feeling is nothing like that!" Miyo groans a good deal when she lets all this out and runs out of the room. The expression on her face was hardly that of her usual composed demeanor, and it truly looked like that of a scared little girl separated from her parents.

"Miyo!" Garrus exclaims as he chases after the girl.

"Huh. You would think that I'd feel relief at that stiff busybody not looking over my shoulder right now, but for the strangest reason, it feels strange. I guess spending ten years with that mutant made me whipped atleast a little."

"That's a horrible thing to call a friend!"

"Trust me; it's not. Bakara constantly called me a mutant when I was reforming Krogan society and break the cycle of destruction with the Genophage killing us. And Bakara is my wife."

"I…" I was literally lost for words hearing this from Wrex about this subject.

"Don't worry 'bout it." Wrex explains as he begins to walk away but stops and looks toward me "You're quite impressive for a human. No one I know would be able to stay this calm when she had her arm torn off in battle. Now, what would that one human say? Oh yeah. As he would say: You have some real cojones."

Hearing Wrex say this made me strongly blush out of embarrassment because of the words he used "Erm, I'll assume you mean I was rather bold in my decision and not the other meaning."

"Believe what you want. I'm getting some grub." Wrex huffs as he walks off elsewhere.

"_**What exactly does that word mean Karen? I'm lacking context.**_"

When I explain the word's meanings, I hear her voice a rather loud gasp "_**Oh my. I certainly hope that he meant the courage definition, unless...Karen, do you really have-?**_"

"_Caelus, I'm going to stop you right there. Use some common sense since you have been a part of me for six months._"

"_**Sorry, but remember that even goddesses can get flustered. You really caught me off-guard with this one.**_"

"_Same here._"

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:00] December 10th 20XX

Location: [Leanbox Basilicom - Training Room]

After the next couple of days passed, we saw all four CPUs: Neptune, Noire, Blanc, and Vert, recover from their ordeal and their strength is steadily increasing which should hopefully mean that when we have to fight Arfoire, we should stand a chance. It also helps that those four have been given their own custom set of next generation Processor Units which gives them their own Next Form transformation ability and they all have a special ability which was a modification Chika made: They can synchronize with other nearby CPUs and allow any CPU to maintain transformation as long as they can, which helps reduce the penalties Uzume and I have because of our circumstances, though it's designed to work within a specific radius so we can't stray too far from one another if we want to maintain that power.

Thankfully; Miyo, Ophelia, and Uzume finished a robotic arm colored gold and blue and transplanted it to my wounded shoulder a day after we returned from the Graveyard and I quickly discovered that this new arm has become the default for my HDD form. But to be honest, I still can't get used to using this thing as I find myself constantly opening and closing my metallic hand subconsciously with it making mechanical whirring sounds every time I do it, but I can use a sword without my senses instinctively fighting me, so I am glad about that. In fact, something Miyo did truly surprised me is that she tore apart my gauntlet and incorporated many of its features into it, thereby making my new arm my new gauntlet. Furthermore, Miyo even managed to repair her broken cybernetics back when I got attacked by the Guardragon and restored her capability to use massive weapons like her flamberge and carbine. I even noticed that Haruka seems to have developed a talent in magic and she has been outfitted with a staff and she even keeps a small spatha sword in case enemies get close to her so she has both fields covered.

When we all recovered our strength, Histoire informed everyone about the fact that ASIC is not yet defeated and we've spread ourselves across other nations to undergo training to prepare for the revival of Arfoire's vassals. Neptune, Noire, Blanc, Vert, Uzume, and I have gone to Leanbox to train our CPU forms in the training hall here. Katsuo, Kazuto, Yuuki, Nepgear, IF, Nisa, Falcom, RED, Filia, Eldin, Hamil, and Reiner elected to remain in Planeptune to train their melee combat skills. Mamoru, Miyo, Adelphos, Uni, Compa, Cave, Garrus, and Wrex have gone to Lastation to practice their ranged combat. And Izumi, Leonard, 5pb., Rom, Ram, and Haruka went to Lowee to train their magical capabilities. We need all of these elements as strong as possible for the upcoming battle.

Since the other CPUs want to adjust to their new power, they asked me and Uzume to use our own Next Form transformations so they don't have to worry about holding back. In fact, I didn't know this until Vert brought it up, but the technology and magic built into this room allows this field to expand as much as the user desires so we're not trapped in the tiny room Uzume and I used to test our new processors.

* * *

"So Aqua Heart, you ready to start this brawl?" Noire asks me as she draws her longsword to prepare for battle.

"Yes I am. My body has gotten better after getting this arm transplanted since it's not freaking out in response to my wound. Though it feels rather unnatural, I will admit that."

"You'll get used to it after a while Karen, I just know it."

"Thank you Vert." I sincerely smile at the friendly comment and when I calm myself, I pull Benten from her sheath and grip her with both of my hands as I see Blanc rapidly charge toward me with her axe.

"I'm first rookie!" Blanc declares with a great deal of aggression, but I stop her axe with my sword with a loud clang being the result, though it was a very strong strike.

"You'll have to do better than that Blanc!" I proudly respond, throwing her back a short distance with my sword since she was trying to get through my guard.

Immediately after I threw Blanc back, Vert stepped up to the plate and repeatedly used her spear in a thrust manner but none of her attacks can even hit me since I'm strafing left and right. She attempts this four times before I go on the offensive and rapidly strike against Vert but I am intercepted by Neptune and Noire combining their skills with their swords to block my own assault.

"I'll show you the power of Lastation's CPU!" After proclaiming this, Noire attacks me with a speed that could easily surpass Kazuto's or Yuuki's dual blade skill and she flew into the air as I am enveloped by a beam of light and when I see her land, she snapped her finger and I am immediately assaulted with a large number of red colored laser beams.

This assault is immediately followed by Neptune's attack which resembles what I saw of Noire's attack but with a purple color scheme at the finale. When those two barrage of attacks end, I notice fractures in my armor from the impact of all the attacks done to me.

"Impressive work. But you'll have to do better than that." After I say this to the four CPUs, I close my eyes to repair the damage since I saw the image flash in my mind; the image being me directing my access to Shares to do this. The images I see tell me that I would not be able to do this outside this room, atleast, for the time being.

"You have quite an irritating ability there. You seem to be able to heal any damage we inflict on you within seconds." Blanc scowls as she regroups with the other CPUs aside from Uzume "Makes me glad you're on our side though."

"Agreed. It is a very useful ability to possess." Vert nods in agreement about the nature of the regeneration, pro and con.

"Okay Uzume, let's show these CPUs how strong we can be!" I say with a great deal of pride, but when I look at her, she's not moving an inch or even blinking "Er...Uzume?" I worriedly ask as I walk toward her.

* * *

I see her mutter something under her breath and then she swiftly uppercuts me in the stomach and I cough out of utter surprise since that was a truly cheap move. And as if that wasn't enough, she swiftly kicks me in the stomach which sends me back toward Neptune and the others

"**Uzume! What are you doing?!**"

I see Uzume about to charge toward us all, but she stops dead in her tracks and is noticeably cringing

"Everyone...you need to make me disengage Next Form! I can't control myself!" After Uzume weakly said this to us, she resumed her charge and her attack scattered us with her repeating 'kill', as if she has lost all control like she said.

"Guys, I'll keep Uzume's attention, you focus on forcing her to revert to her conventional CPU form!"

We engage in battle to free Uzume since she apparently doesn't have control over herself in her Next Form anymore. Thankfully Neptune, Vert, and Blanc are able to help me keep Uzume's attention and are doing a very good job of it, but I'm relieved when Noire struck Uzume with the pommel of her sword which knocked her to the ground and her Next Form disengages and she returns to her normal CPU form. It was extremely taxing trying to block all of her attacks even when I'm in Next Form.

"You okay Uzume?" I ask though I'm rather perturbed by what she did earlier.

"Yeah...I hope." Uzume frowned a great deal and looked down as she said this.

"What happened to you? You went ballistic on us all." Noire demands as she keeps her sword close to Uzume's back as she's behind her.

"I just...I couldn't handle all this power and it took control of me. When I transformed, there was something like a message that appeared for half a second; something called EXE 103 was disabled. I don't know why I went ballistic like that."

"**Either something went wrong or this power is too much for you to handle Uzume. Karen, you should be careful too. If it's the unit causing all this, I sincerely doubt you'll be exempt.**"

"We should go see Chika. She was the one who made these new units for us and if that's the problem, we need to make sure we don't go into murderous rampages after only a few dives. Especially since the other Oracles just gave you these things not too long ago."

* * *

Chirper Events:

Lily Rank 3 - Karen, Uzume

"You okay Uzume? You look uneasy."

"I...I um. Karen, you must be ashamed of how I lost control of myself back there."

"It's not your fault Uzume. We're working with experimental gear here and you came from a much earlier era so it must have been really tough for you to acclimate to it."

"But you were able to keep control of yourself! I was born as a goddess and I should have been able to handle anything in my way!" My attempt to try consoling her clearly backfired since she was rather peeved when she said this.

"Uzume, everyone is different, and remember that you spent so much time in-between dimensions. That may have caused a level of atrophy in your capabilities."

"Still..."

"Uzume, stop. You don't need to worry about this. We'll find the problem and stop it in its tracks. Trust me." I say as I gently keep my left arm on her shoulder to try calming her down.

"Thank you Karen. Anyway, I've been trying to recall details about my time outside Gamindustri. I need to ask, do you recall the names: Philia and Strea?"

"Philia and Strea? Not really. Why?"

"Odd. I remember Philia helping you in Aincrad a great deal and the person I helped: Tybalt; he created one of those AI thingies as a follower or something of the main one he made and placed it in that game. He made some sort of application that let me control her from a distance, though I did act far more carefree and giddy than I usually do. Anyway, the two of us both helped you a lot."

"_That doesn't make sense. I don't recall anyone called Philia or Strea helping us. We kept our numbers within Senryaku small. By the time we finished Aincrad, it was just me, Katsuo, Amaterasu, Sylvia, Hikaru, Rika, and Keiko. And Mamoru, Haruka, Asuna, and Kazuto were informal affiliates. If those two were working in the background or in units I wasn't aware of, that could explain it, yet Uzume is claiming that she and this other individual helped Senryaku a good deal. But how is that possible?_" I truly am trying to comprehend how a situation like this is possible when I have no memory of such a thing "_Well, I've definitely encountered the matter of different dimensions, so maybe there is a far deeper expanse involving spacetime? Did Uzume perhaps find some alternate timeline during her time in the dimensional void? But that doesn't explain much. I need to find this Tybalt and get answers. I owe Hikaru and XANA that much atleast. But wait, she said this Tybalt guy made a powerful AI and made this Strea as a weaker AI follower? So...Tybalt made Cardinal? But...I thought Kayaba made Cardinal? Ugh, I'm getting a damn migraine just thinking about this. For every answer I get, I get forty questions. It's annoying me._"

* * *

Back to story

Because of how this incident soured our desire to train for the time being, we revert to our regular forms and head out to find Chika and when we find her in her office, we explained how Uzume tried to kill us. After hearing it, she gripped her forehead with her hand and shakes her head. She then pulls some sort of tool and walks toward Uzume.

"Let me inspect your gear and see if that's the problem here" After a minute passes of Chika scanning Uzume's entire body, there is a rather loud 'Bzt' "There's the problem: The control system is fried. I'm guessing the electrical attacks you were heavily subjected to must have destroyed them." So it looks like all of the electricity that Uzume was being attacked with before Wrex destroyed that orb destroyed the unit's ability to regulate its power.

"Can you fix it Chika?"

"Certainly, it'll just take a few days. And I'll want to modify your set too Karen. Your set may need repairing as well, and I imagine you don't want that control system so fragile huh?"

"But what about ASIC? They've been been rather resistant to most of my attacks and Uzume barely fazed Magic with her old processor. We need the power of these new sets. I hate to be hypocritical since we shouldn't risk our lives like this, but we're already in danger as it is."

"That certainly is...problematic. Wait, I think I know something that could work, but it'll still take time. I heard rumors that a friend of yours had been working on theories regarding something called nanotechnology. If her theories are true, we may be able to develop a system to recreate and strengthen your power control systems."

"A friend; who- Let me guess. You're talking about Miyo right? While Ophelia is good with tech, she's nowhere close to nanotech."

"Correct. Miyo is considered a technological savant here in Gamindustri. While she doesn't create much in the way of technology because of how her so-called responsibility to that individual: Thraaklon takes up so much of her time, she has made things far more advanced than anything in this world. Not even Lastation can rival her skill because of her history. What I find a little odd is that despite her skill, she refused every offer to work as a professional technician. It'd be a rather stable position with her skill."

"That's her decision you know. I don't know her life, but based on what I know, she must have felt obligated to help people like Thraaklon did because of how he saved her life. But she told me that she wanted to find a way to leave this world and ensure everyone else does. But I'll contact her nonetheless." After saying this, I press a few buttons on my gauntlet to open a telepathic communication with Miyo "_Miyo, you there?_"

"_I'm in the middle of gun practice here, what do you want?_"

"_Do you think you could make something for me and Uzume? Our control units are in bad shape. Chika said she heard talk of your nanotechnology theories and she wants to put it to the test._" The moment I mentioned nanotechnology, it was as if she did a spit take out of utter surprise.

"_Karen-! I…Dammit Karen. Look, I don't want anything to do with nanotechnology. It's too damn dangerous._"

"_You must be exaggerating here Miyo. What's the problem?_"

"_Don't you start with me Karen! I ran three tests on nanotechnology with drastically different angles. They all ended with- Look, I am not using nanotech! Nothing you say will change my mind! I...After what I did to Amber..._"

"_Miyo, just tell me why you're so adamant about this. I won't force you to make nanotech, but I want to know why you hate it so much._"

"_Okay, look. Like I said, I did three tests with nanotechnology and they all went awry. The last test I did traumatized me and I abandoned it. It happened a little after I met Izumi; I actually brought another person into my group. It was a woman called Amber, she was the closest thing I had to a mother figure in this world. She said the two of us reminded of her daughters and although she said it was strange living in this world, she didn't want to leave children on their own so she stuck around to help and raise us. Thing is; it was a few months before Izumi and I associated ourselves with ASIC. Amber volunteered to help with a nanotech experiment, she was transformed into a monster and I was forced to kill her to protect myself and Izumi. I've had to live with the burden of the fact I killed the woman who Izumi and I considered a mother. I've killed too many people with my nanotechnology project. I'm sick of all that Karen._"

"_I see. You've been carrying trauma because of past mistakes. Atleast it's more concrete than Sachiko's hatred of me. But look, I do need you to help repair the control units._"

"_I...I'll come and see what I can do. I can't promise anything more than that. Those things are incredibly complex because of their design. And don't forget that you two are using prototypes so I likely won't be able to do squat. Even with my skill._"

After ending this call, I give the information to the others, but I am interrupted by a loud alarm ringing out all throughout the Basilicom.

"That's the high priority emergency signal" Chika mutters rather rapidly before dashing toward her computer and is pressing buttons faster than a hedgehog "It's source is from Planeptune. You all had better get over there fast. I'll be preparing the SMD in case the situation escalates."

"Got it Chika. Everyone, let's go."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] December 10th 20XX

Location: [Planeptune Basilicom]

After hearing the emergency signal from the Basilicom, we rushed to Planeptune to find out what was happening. To my surprise, we had all gathered here and apparently my group were the last ones to arrive

"About time you guys get here. We've got a major crisis here. As I was saying: My colleagues in the Guild reported that they've found all four CFWs. We've found Judge in a very dangerous dungeon here in Planeptune: Junk Box. Trick is in the Icicle Pathway dungeon over in Lowee. Brave is in Lastation, Infinite Corridor. Magic is in Gapain Field. They've given us reports that ASIC is mobilizing all of their forces and will attack all of our nations in six hours."

"That's not much time. We'll need to defeat them all to save these nations and it'll be near impossible to fight in such confined quarters with all of us together when so few of us have official military training which would allow such things to happen."

"I agree Garrus. Since there are so many of us here, we should split into teams and strike ASIC's leaders in concert. That'll allow us to fight our enemy without getting our ranks tied in confusion. We have to fight four enemies so we should split into four teams. Neptune, Noire, Blanc, Vert; you four are the main goddesses here. You should be the ones to decide the teams. However, Filia; I want your SMD members to stay behind. If the worst happens and we fail, I want them as the last line of defense."

"I don't share your fears Karen, but in terms of logic, I see your concern. I am more than sure that the SMD can handle defending Leanbox, so divide yourselves among the other nations and strengthen their defenses. If we do fall, we'll atleast greatly weaken their offensive power so your job will be easier."

"Lady Filia, I do not approve of this plan. This is far too dangerous."

"That's not your decision Eldin. I am your leader and you swore yourselves in body and soul to my command. Are you questioning my decisions?"

"No, Lady Filia. That was not our intention. We are worried for your well being in this mission."

"Worry for yourselves in this one. I am strong enough to fight anything in my way and you all know it. Now prove you have committed your very being in its entirety to my command and follow my orders."

"Okay, let's stop this endless bickering circle and get this out of the way before it's too late. Uni, Miyo, Izumi, Cave, Nisa, Haruka; I want you six coming with me to Infinite Corridor." Noire speaks up with a calm demeanor, making her group primarily out of a stable balance of melee and ranged combatants.

"I guess I'll take Nep Jr., Iffy, Compa, Falcom, Mamori, and Yu." Like Noire's group, there's a balance of melee and ranged combatants, but it favors melee.

"It's Mamoru!" "It's Yuuki!" They shouted this in unison, making it clear that they hate those nicknames.

"Rom, Ram, Gust, RED, Katsuo, Kazuto; you're with me. I want to kill that damn bastard."

"Okay then; Karen, Uzume, 5pb, Filia, Garrus, Wrex, I want you all to return to Leanbox with me. We'll be up against Magic, who is the strongest of the four, so we need the strongest of us all fighting on this front while also making sure all fronts have the required amounts."

"Makes sense Vert. We need to make sure our strength is as equal as possible. Sorry Karen, Uzume, I won't be able to work on your units because of this rapid deployment. When I get a couple of days, I'll check into it atleast." Miyo says as she walks away with her group, leaving Neptune's, Blanc's, and Vert's.

"We should deploy quickly, but be careful Karen. You died in front of us and you lost your arm fighting in the Graveyard for the second time. If you get hurt again, I will never forgive you." Katsuo says rather solemnly as he takes off with his group and I can't help but close my eyes in mild disdain as the matter is brought up again and I then stare at my robotic arm with a good deal of unease.

"Focus Karen, we're up against CFW Magic so we need you at your best."

"I know Vert." I despondently say as I fast-travel with the others to Gapain Field.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:30] December 10th 20XX

Location: [Leanbox - Gapain Field]

When we entered the dungeon here, we see that a great deal of the ground here is charred and even blood soaked. Almost immediately after we walked a short distance, we heard blood curdling screams from further in and two armored figures bearing ASIC identification ran toward us immediately after; with us drawing our weapons in case they plan to attack

"Hold your fire! We're not here to fight you!"

"Why are you here if you're not here to fight?" Vert demands as she keeps her spear pointed toward them in case they are lying.

"We're getting the hell out of here! ASIC demanded that everyone gather at four dungeons in the various nations, but when we had all gathered to rendezvous with our leaders, they began killing us all! We thought we were doing something good for the people because of the fact ASIC was providing games for free for everyone, but this is wrong!" After shouting this, the two individuals run out of the dungeon with all the strength they could muster.

"What the hell? Why is ASIC killing all of their people?! It...it makes no sense!"

"I don't know Karen. But what matters right now is that we hurry and save as many people as we can."

"Yeah, you're right Vert. Everyone, let's go." I solemnly nod in acknowledgement as I rush forward with the others.

Unfortunately for my stomach, the further we got into this dungeon, the more I was forced to smell a nasty combination of blood and cinders and it took everything I had to not vomit on the spot and my fast run slowed down big time as the smell is preventing me from focusing. And as if the smell wasn't bad enough, we've seen what seems to be dozens of corpses spewed all over the place; most on the ground, and some floating in the water either on their backs or stomach.

"This is a nightmare. Seeing all of these dead people is giving me war flashbacks. It's as if I'm fighting in the Reaper War again." Garrus mumbles as he crouches down near the water's edge and stares at all of the bodies littered in the water.

"How pathetic. Seeing such a small number of dead bodies makes you think of the worst war in history that killed billions?"

"Good lord! Billions?! Er...never mind. I don't want to know right now, I'm having trouble moving as it is and it's easy to tell Lyrica's having trouble with this."

"We don't have time to stop here. I can tell there are people still alive there. We need to save as many of them as possible. Karen, Lyrica; it's easy to tell you need a moment to adjust. Lady Vert, stay with these two. Uzume, Garrus, Wrex; help me scout further ahead."

"No. I'm not letting our group divide themselves, not against Magic. We're staying together."

"Don't worry about me everyone. I'll be fine."

"Well, let's go then. Every second we spend chatting, people are senselessly losing their lives." Filia speaks with an extreme sense of urgency as she proceeds to lead.

* * *

When we get to the end of the dungeon, we find a few armored figures get cut down by Magic's scythe with loud screams of pain immediately following it and the fact that they weren't moving at all means that they were utterly petrified by either magic or extreme fear at the sight of their dead comrades. In addition to Magic and the huge pile of corpses around her, I can see Linda and Pirachu shaking in their boots.

"C-CFW Magic, ma'am, why are you doing this?! I thought we were going to attack the CPUs, not kill each other in cold blood!"

"She's right, chump! We already accomplished our mission: Reviving Arfoire, so why are you killing us all?!"

"The Deity of Sin demands complete and utter annihilation of all. There is no exception. It matters not if they die today or tomorrow; we will all be absorbed into the Deity of Sin's will."

"W-WHAT?! But; if Arfoire is going to kill us all, I...Why did I go to all that effort?!"

"We need to get out of here, chump. We need to leave before Magic kills us too!"

"If you defy our orders, you will die." Magic proclaims as she charges a beam of magic and fires it toward Linda and Pirachu.

They barely dodge the attack and weakly pick themselves up "CFW Magic; you'd use your full power against your most loyal follower?" Linda asks with her voice clearly horrified because of what happened.

"Why do you resist your own death? Your mere existence is superfluous. _All_ of your existences are superfluous." Magic says with a cruel unflappable tone to Linda and Pirachu at first before diverting her focus to the few living ASIC members left.

"This isn't the CFW Magic I swore my loyalty to. She wouldn't kill her followers like this!" Linda proclaims as she runs off and notices us "Karen Koizumi?! I…" I could see that Linda's eyes were bawling with tears.

"You people truly are sick! Why the hell would you sacrifice your own people?!" I shout this at Magic and it thankfully diverted her focus toward us and it saved the few survivors' lives.

"Their sole purpose was to ensure that the ritual to revive the Deity of Sin is made possible. Since that is now complete, their lives are forfeit."

"You monster! You're willing to sacrifice your followers for this?! You...You...You _are the worst_ kind of leader! They are supposed to lead and protect their followers; not sacrifice them for some sick ritual!" After I said this, with my teeth clenching in anger before outright shouting, I can't help but feel so incredibly pissed off and that rage apparently forced my HDD to activate "CFW Magic, I will not let this stand. This time I will ensure you are destroyed. Vert, I need you to synchronize your unit with me." After saying this, my anger triggered my Next Form and like what Uzume mentioned before, I saw a notice flash in front of me saying 'EXE 103 Disabled'. Because of what I've experienced, I know that I won't have perfect control over my unit's power. Whether that means I'll go berserk like Uzume did or whether I'll be able to control myself will be decided soon enough. Soon enough, Vert synchronized her unit with mine and Uzume which will allow us to maintain our HDD for as long as Vert can.

"Karen, be careful. If your control system is damaged like mine, you may not be able to control yourself." Uzume says to me with a heavy heart as she talks about the incident earlier.

"Don't worry about it Uzume. Rage seems to be a hell of a kicker to keeping myself sane."

"I wholeheartedly agree. there are times when I was at my sanest when I was in my blood rage."

"Enough talk. You will all die. Prepare for your annihilation!"

* * *

When Magic charged at us, it made us scatter but we quickly reorganize our formation with Uzume, Vert, and I taking lead in this battle. Uzume is the one inflicting most of the damage with her rapid bracer attacks followed by my sword being a strong factor in damage and Vert seems to be a master with destroying these guard gauges and fighting three CPUs in Next Form is a true nightmare considering how powerful all of our attacks are. Of course, now that I have experienced it firsthand, I know how Uzume felt earlier when she lost control: This power is trying to assume full control and I wouldn't be able to maintain control while also fighting but Caelus is fighting that front which I'm thankful for since it allows me to go all out with fighting. However, we quickly find that Magic is somehow even stronger than before since her new body's combat capabilities are just as strong as ours. Although we're able to match Magic in terms of strength, it's taking us three combined to do that; and it's made worse when we fell back to regroup for the next attack when Magic created an octagonal wall around us which is preventing us from escaping.

"Damn!" I scowl as I try destroying the wall with my sword and I see Uzume and Vert trying the same with their bracers and spear to no avail.

With the three of us indisposed, I decide to simply watch the others take up battle. I see Lyrica using her music magic to boost our capabilities and to my surprise, the few ASIC members that are still alive have reorganized themselves to keep her from harm since she's not much of a fighter. That leaves the other three fighters of our group: Filia with her durandal, Wrex wielding the same assault rifle he used back in the graveyard, and I never noticed because of the chaos before, I saw that the sniper rifle that Garrus is using has an emblem on the side which appears to be a simple N7 with white text. However, they aren't lasting long against her power and they're being pushed back.

"I can't let this stand!" I snarl as I see Benten being covered with what appears to be blinding holy light and immediately afterward, I see Uzume vanish as well. I quickly notice that Benten appears to have been converted from a sword form to small cannons on my shoulders. But almost immediately, I heard Uzume's voice scream out from somewhere

"_What the?! Where am I?!_"

"Uzume? Wait...I don't understand. What's going on?!"

"That's another ability we CPUs have from birth: We are able to convert ourselves into weapons for others to utilize. Just hurry and use the skill."

I close my eyes as I feel power resonating within the cannons and I open them when I feel the energy about to release and I see an image of me needing to state the name of the skill to activate it "Face the wrath of CPU Aqua Heart! Nebula Sun Burst!" I strongly proclaim as the cannons fire the energy they were building up and it pierces the barrier which instantly destroys it and the beam of energy hits Magic even though she blocks it with her scythe.

I then dash toward Magic as I repeatedly hit her with short-range bursts from my cannons to help buy time for Vert to get here and back me up. It appears that my merge with Uzume gave me her agility since I'm much faster like this. Though I could account that to how I'm not using a massive sword and shoulder mounted cannons that are surprisingly light. However, Magic quickly composed herself and is fighting me in earnest and I'm using Uzume's supplemental agility to fight and dodge her attacks though hand-to-hand combat is not something I can do in this high-stake battle but that quickly fades as Filia throws her sword at me, indirectly telling me to use it for this battle as she pulls out another sword from her inventory

"You are becoming an utter and complete thorn in my side. I can not comprehend how you are able to fight against us with such vigor with what you suffered!"

"I told you Magic. Humanity never surrenders and we always fight to our last dying breath to change our destinies if that becomes necessary. If you attempt to wipe us out, we will retaliate with the force of an avalanche. No matter how much you or your organization tries to break me, I will rise stronger than before. You killed me once and I came back from the dead with an even stronger desire to destroy you all. You severed my arm and only cemented my commitment to the cause. No matter what you do to me, I will never stop. I _will_ destroy ASIC and your damnable Deity of Sin. Now..._DIE!_" I proudly proclaim humanity's philosophies before I strongly grip Filia's sword and slash Magic to oblivion.

"This is for everyone you have killed!" What surprised me is that my voice wasn't the only one who shouted this as I can feel my voice somehow merged with that of Uzume and Caelus and I feel the rage of ancient goddesses desiring to shed blood in vengeance over the millions of innocent people killed by this organization.

"Ehehe...You are doomed no matter what you do. The final step to the Deity of Sin's revival is the absorption of her loyal vassals' souls. Prepare for the destruction of all." Magic sneers as body suddenly explodes into blinding light and I cover my eyes in response.

"Not going to happen Magic. ASIC is doomed. I will destroy Arfoire and avenge everyone who has died because of her." After I say this out loud, I deactivate my HDD form and Uzume appears right next to me, wiping her shoulders as if she was covered with dirt.

"Impressive Karen. If you keep this degree of strength constant, I can confidently state that you won't need my instructions."

"Thanks Filia. Well, let's return to Leanbox and await orders. We should also prepare for the possibility of us needing to reinforce the others."

"Agreed. We need to remain on guard. But what do we do with you all?"

"Please leave us to our devices here. We are not assisting a genocidal organization, but we wish to gather our dead and bury them all. We lost many friends, family, comrades-in-arms...Too many good people have died here."

"Very well. Let's go everyone." Vert solemnly responds as she walks away with the others following her.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [17:30] December 10th 20XX

Location: [Leanbox - Basilicom]

After we returned to the Basilicom here in Leanbox, we stayed there for a response from the others though I was extremely anxious during every passing second since my friends are in danger, but thankfully, reports came in saying that there were no casualties among us, but all of ASIC's members that had assembled in the dungeons were exterminated; which I find extremely distasteful since hundreds of people lost their lives for no damn reason. We barely saved half a dozen people in Gapain Field and hearing this...This is wrong on so many levels. Anyway, we've been given orders to return to Planeptune though we're staying put for a short time.

"This is a nightmare. I can't believe ASIC would kill their own people like that! I'm thankful now that I left my group earlier. I feel like I saved Miyo and Izumi from this nightmare and possibly even you Filia."

"I severely doubt that Karen. I'm far too strong for ASIC to defeat. But I digress. Let's get back to Planeptune and plan out our next move."

When we return to Planeptune, we find the others gathered in the lobby getting treated since it looks like some of them got injured during the assault

"Ow. Can't you be any gentler treating this?" Mamoru groans rather irritably as I see a medic treating his injuries; with me noticing a scar across the right side of his face mostly focused around his eye, though it obviously only hit the skin and not his eye which I imagine he's thankful about.

"Trust me when I say I'm being as gentle as I can."

"I...I know. It's just painful going through this."

After hearing this, my group begins spreading to different parts of the room to check on the others since it looks like everyone got injured to some degree. Looks my team got off easy even though we faced the strongest member of the Four Felons. I walk over toward Kazuto and Katsuo, and I quickly notice that they're both wearing casts on their right arm.

"Hey Karen. We both got a bit unlucky out there." Katsuo groans as he looks toward me, with a frown on his face as he does so.

"No kidding. Did you succeed?"

"Hell ya. Though it wasn't easy and we saw so many people dead around us that I felt extremely nauseous. Blanc, I owe you for helping me stay in the fight."

"You don't need to thank me. Gust was the one who gave you the medicine you needed."

"Perhaps so, but you helped me ingest the thing when I needed it. I wouldn't be able to fight if you didn't help."

"Stop before you make me inflict even more injuries onto you." Blanc responds with a tranquil fury which abruptly made Katsuo keep quiet, though I think I saw the tiniest of blushes on her face.

"Huh. I have never seen you act so nice to someone Blanc. I thought you were incapable of such a feeling."

"Shut your damn mouth Neptune." Blanc snarls very aggressively at Neptune's joke.

"Stop it all of you. Remember that we're hardly finished here!" Noire shouts out which breaks up this fight before it gets worse.

"**Noire has a point. We still have to fight Arfoire since she's going to be revived soon. The time for unity is now.**"

"Okay then Caelus. I want to ask you questions about the battle you had with ASIC in the past, I want to form strategies to use in the battle."

"I have a room here in the Basilicom, we can talk there."

"Lead the way Aqua Heart."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:00] December 12th 20XX

Location: [Planeptune - Basilicom]

After we destroyed the Four Felons, we began our final preparations against Arfoire since we're up against an individual that managed to kill three goddesses in their prime. Saying that is making us a little uneasy is putting it rather mildly. We're training our Next Form capabilities since we've all reached the consensus that it may very well be one of the few things giving us an edge against ASIC and we need to ensure we know everything that these things can do. Thankfully, this respite from battle gave us time to repair and reinforce our control units since Uzume lacked the ability to resist this power and I was dependent on Caelus keeping me from attacking my friends back in Gapain Field. When I was talking with Noire for our strategy meeting, I actually talked about a battle I was in but what was truly bizarre was that I had never even heard of that area. The response I got from Caelus was beyond horrified since I somehow was able to experience some of her memories on pure instinct and she said she was going to work more to keep me from having access to them. Looks like Caelus truly has some skeletons in her closet and is desperate to keep it private.

In fact, in order to prepare for the inevitable battle, we've spent all of our time training and purusing what little remains of ancient records since Caelus and Uzume are unusually hesitant to talk about their battle with ASIC in the past and we need info on what Arfoire is capable of while waiting for reports from Guild agents assigned to monitor the situation and they've been joined by the few ASIC members that survived the liquidation as they want to repent for their actions. Reports quickly came in and we learned that magic circles have appearing throughout the Gamindustri Graveyard which we can only presume is what's allowing Arfoire to revive. Thankfully, we do have a number of magic users in this group and they combined their respective expertise and we learned something based on the design described by the agents.

"Okay, if the agents are correct; we should be able to greatly interrupt Arfoire's official resurrection, but there's a catch with the design. We'll need to block the magic flow with our own strength, though we need mages to oversee the process. And considering the people in our group, we barely have any. Izumi, Haruka, Rom, Ram, 5pb, and I will have to do this since we are the only magi here. Also, depending on how many of these circles exist, we will need to work separately."

"Makes sense. But how do we pull this off?"

"Like Leonard said, we need to block the flow of magic that is being directed toward Arfoire. ASIC is using a type of magic circle that can be easily manipulated with life energy from differing sources, but to successfully pull it off, both the mage and the people undergoing the ritual must not be interrupted, so we'll need guards. We'd need to see the magic circles in person, but I can foresee two possibilities by us doing this: One, doing this ensures we actually manage to prevent Arfoire from returning to this plane of existence entirely. The other would cause Arfoire to return in a weaker state which would make our fight easier. In smaller words, doing this will mean we'll either prevent this fight entirely or make it easier." Izumi explains rather calmly as she talks about the plan we'll need to follow.

"This could work, but how many people are we going to send against Arfoire directly? The Graveyard will likely be swarming with monsters and like you said Izumi; we can't afford to leave anyone unprotected."

"This is my opinion, but I think we goddesses should handle that fight. Our poor decisions allowed ASIC to flourish so strongly, we need to be the ones who ends it." Vert speaks up with her stance on the battle.

"Fair enough. Let's hurry and end all this. I'm sick of ASIC already." Katsuo groans with a degree of irritation as he takes his sword sheath out of his inventory and puts it around his belt.

"I agree. Histoire, we're going to depart now. Can you open a portal for us to go to the Graveyard? We're ending this here and now." Blanc quietly inquires as she pulls out her hammer and keeps the top near the back of her head.

"As you wish, but please be careful. Like every other time, I am uneasy sending you all into enemy hands, but we have no other option."

"Don't fret the details Histy. We'll go out there, kick some butt, and come back to play games like usual." Neptune remarks with a proud grin as she runs through the portal.

* * *

After we see Neptune enter the portal to the Graveyard, we followed her through to execute the final operation against ASIC and we see a set of four magic circles around us and we see Leonard walk forward to inspect one of the magic circles

"Okay, let me see here." Leonard mutters as he walks toward a nearby magic circle and inspects it "Wow, this is truly pathetic. I learned how to work around this kind of magic circle through basic training. Here's the spell incantation you need." Leonard continues, with him passing copies of the incantation to Haruka, Izumi, and 5pb. "I'll take this first set of magic circles. Hamil, Eldin, Reiner, I want you three to help defend this area."

"Well then, the superheroine of justice and her sidekick will volunteer to handle what is necessary."

"Why must Gust be sidekick to incompetent 'heroine'?"

"Knock it off. Our mission is too damn important for bickering."

"Blanc's right. Compa, you and I will stay here with them to block the magic flow."

After this exchange finishes, IF, Compa, Nisa, Gust, Leonard, Hamil, Reiner, and Eldin split from our group and we proceed through the dungeon. The lack of monsters trying to impede our progress is, while welcome, unsettling since we're up against ASIC's guardian deity. I can't bring myself to believe that we're not walking into a trap. It's especially unnerving when we're rapidly reaching the end and the fact we not only have spotted no monsters and only two sets of magic circles bringing about Arfoire's revival.

"This is too suspicious. We're supposed to be fighting against the heart of the lion yet we've met no opposition. I have a bad feeling about this...Adelphos, Lyrica, double back to Leonard's group. We need to account the possibility of Arfoire trying to block our escape route." I muse as I ponder the situation and I want to ensure we have people keeping our rear flank clear. When I see the pair rush back, I look toward the others "The rest of you, stay here and guard this area. We goddesses will handle it from here."

"Actually Karen; Wrex and I want to accompany you on this one."

"Absolutely not. Look, I don't exactly want to say how I know this, but Arfoire has special magic that makes her all but immune to conventional attacks. Only we goddesses will be able to do this." The reason I'm able to say this so confidently is because of how, while she is keeping me from seeing most, Caelus has let me indulge in memories involving ASIC and I can see images of what I need to know through her own memories.

"I suppose that makes sense. Okay, let's set up a defensive perimeter around this area." Garrus says with a tiny frown of unease as he directs everyone to set up defensive positions while the goddesses and I proceed onward.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [11:00] December 12th 20XX

Location: [Gamindustri Graveyard - Graveyard's Edge]

When we reached the far end of the area where I fought CFW Trick six months ago and Magic two days ago, I can't help but dread this one area because during both confrontations, I suffered greatly fighting this criminal organization.

"Everyone, keep your guard up. We're at the apex of ASIC's evil." I grimly say to the others as we all activate our HDD forms.

Immediately after we engaged our HDD, we see several bolts of lightning hit the ground a short ways in front of us and an individual that appears to resemble some sort of humanoid rabbit or something shows itself in front of us

"So you had the courage to come and fight me after all Caelus."

"**I won't surrender to you Arfoire! I was able to seal you away within a pocket dimension once before and I have grown even more powerful since then! Your destruction is assured!**"

"Meaningless chatter. Especially when you can't even use your goddess powers." Arfoire sneers rather evilly when she said this.

"What are you-" I try to say before I see her straighten out an arm and a large wave of dark magic flows out and I felt an extreme amount of pain course through my body when it hit me and I look around and see our HDD forms shatter. I look about a little and I see a number of Anti-Crystals scattered around the area which likely helped disable our Goddess forms.

However, that wasn't it since that magic apparently the ability to blind its victims. I also feel it rapidly slashing against me and I can feel myself flung back to an unknown degree. It takes a few minutes for that blinding effect to be undone by Rom and Ram and when I regain my sight, I see that Uzume is within the circular radius of the graveyard's edge but everyone else is around me and there's a barrier keeping us from reaching her. Although she's still in her goddess form, it's likely because of how she said her human form was disconnected during her time in the dimensional void so her conventional goddess form is her standard. I attempted to destroy the barrier with everyone's help but none of our attacks can even faze it and we can't transform because of the residual Anti-Crystals in the area, however, we were quickly told off by Uzume when we tried this.

"Guys, stop it! The only way we can harm Arfoire is through a goddess' power and you don't have the ability to transform here. Not with these anti-crystals here. I made this barrier with my power to protect you. Just leave this to me." Uzume says with irritation at our attempts to take down the barrier.

After saying this, Uzume gives us a rather uneasy expression before she turns away and walks toward Arfoire

"You're a fool; going to fight against the very enemy that killed three of your sisters."

"Indeed, but I'm not giving up. Eri, Rin, Ila, all our people. I am going to make sure they all can rest easy wherever they are. Cae...I'm sorry." Uzume said this with a great deal with pride though she sounded rather distraught at the end.

I quickly see Uzume's hands glow with a bright silver light and she slams the ground with a massive magic circle appearing underneath her and Arfoire

"W-What are you doing?" Arfoire demands angrily as she dashes toward Uzume and impales her with her spear through her torso.

Uzume weakly coughs up blood and nearly plummeted toward the ground as the only thing keeping her up was Arfoire's spear "This is a special kind of magic Tybalt helped me make. I realize that I can't beat you conventionally so I have no choice but to use this. I prayed I wouldn't have to since I wanted to stay with Cae and everyone. You see...I'm going to ensure you never return so I'm going to remove you from the fabric of reality entirely! And I'll make sure of that by sacrificing myself. No one will remember you or your actions though the world will recall the memory of the evil inflicted by ASIC. I myself...will be erased from both history and memory."

"**Uzume! No!**"

"Cae, I am truly sorry, but we have no other option. It's a fact that only goddesses could defeat a being like Arfoire and I'm the only one who can access goddess form because of these anti-crystals. And I'm not strong enough on my own. My sacrifice will save nations. So...please forgive me." Uzume did her utmost to fight back tears as she keeps a firm grip on an arm that Arfoire is keeping on her spear to keep her stationary.

The duo slowly fall into the magic circle though Arfoire is frantically attacking Uzume with a sword made of pure darkness to try freeing herself from Uzume's grasp but she's incredibly persistent and even though she is receiving devastating injuries, she is not letting go of Arfoire until they have fallen to where only their heads are visible and Uzume simply stares at the sky

"Cae, everyone...this is where I give my farewell. I truly do wish I could have stayed at your side but looks like fate wasn't kind. Goodbye..." I can truly hear Uzume's tone become incredibly distraught and become overshadowed with sniffles of tears when she said this and when she completely falls into the magic circle, a small beam of light appears and it is dispersing its effects in all directions.

"**UZUME!**" This utterly horrified scream was the last thing I heard as that beam of light seemingly exploded which blasted us to our backs and knocked us into unconsciousness. I can't even begin imaging how much pain Caelus is going through since she just lost the last of her sisters to Arfoire.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [13:00] December 12th 20XX

Location: [Gamindustri Graveyard - Graveyard's Edge]

When I came to, I found everyone looking over us with concerned expressions but what's a little bizarre is that for some reason, I remember that we were supposed to defeat ASIC's leader but the details are fuzzy for some reason. I strongly feel like we've succeeded in defeating ASIC, but I don't know why I have this thought.

"Karen, are you okay?" I see Katsuo helping me up from how I was on my back and I see IF and Compa helping Nepgear and Neptune respectively, Miyo and Izumi helping Noire and Uni; Nisa, Gust, and Filia helping Rom, Ram, and Blanc' and I see Cave helping Vert up.

"Katsuo? Yeah, but I have a mild headache for some reason."

"Yeah, we have some ourselves. But what about ASIC? Do we have to fight still?"

"I'm not certain. My mind is running blank yet my heart is telling me that although we are victorious, something is amiss. I cannot understand it." Blanc says with an uneasy expression on her face as she talks about this strange feeling and I'm feeling something similar as well.

"_**Uzume...why did you…? Dammit Uzume!**_"

"_Caelus, what's wrong? You sound utterly dismal._"

"_**I'm not going to bother explaining this one Karen. You won't remember even if I explain it to you. I...I'm going to sleep. I'm never going to be able to live this down.**_" For the first time in our relationship, I'm actually at a loss for words since I don't know what Caelus is irritated about and since she isn't telling me, I don't know what to say to her here "Come on guys, let's get out of here." I say with a calm expression as I pull out the walkie-talkie I kept with me the last time I fought against CFW Magic and I ask Histoire to open a portal near our position and we all walk through it to leave the Gamindustri Graveyard for good this time.

* * *

When we return to Planeptune, we find all of the Oracles gathered in the room and they give different levels of affection toward their individual CPUs and Candidates, when applicable, which certainly is rather heartwarming to see when we had just finished fighting an entire criminal syndicate for the last couple of months. It started with just me, Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, Shino, IF, Compa, and Falcom and we then recruited so many people to help us in our fight. We were then asked to gather in the garden for a celebration feast because of our victory against ASIC since the four nations have been fighting them for years now and we have now achieved victory. When we get there, we are put in a mildly uncomfortable situation since this area was never meant for such a huge group but we quickly adjust by having some of us sit down on the low walls surrounding this indoor garden while the rest of us are scattered elsewhere enjoying ourselves

"Say Garrus, are you going to have trouble eating any of this food? I can still remember what happened here ten years ago."

"Believe it or not Nepgear, I'll be fine. The shamaness we met per Thraaklon's request had a really interesting spell that one of her ancestors made a long time ago. It had the ability to alter a food's genetic structure. It was something Thraaklon requested early on since he apparently realized that not everyone would be able to eat the same types of food. Now I don't need that medicine which paralyzes me anymore. I went twelve years eating food which came with the risk of poisoning myself in the process. It's an amazing feeling to be honest. For so long now, I had to eat food that is classified as levo-amino which was bad no matter what; and although it took quite a while explaining the differences since I'm hardly a biologist, but she was able to ensure both Wrex and I had access to food that was truly meant for us while keeping its appearance unchanged."

"I can imagine. And I'm glad of that Garrus. But Nepgear, I'm surprised you didn't tell everyone that you knew me back when I was a child."

"You caught me off-guard at the time Miyo. I hadn't seen you in years and then I learned you were helping ASIC. I just didn't know what to say. That little girl Thraaklon brought to our Basilicom, whom I considered a very close friend, was helping our enemy. How do you respond to that?"

"I-I see your point. Well, if it's any consolation, it was just a job. I can imagine Thraaklon would've been rather annoyed at my decision though, but I have the right to live my own life. Besides, I did it to help the CPUs in the long run."

"I suppose so. But what do you plan to do now Miyo?"

"I'm going to go help Karen establish her own nation. While I can't ask him directly, I feel like this is something Thraaklon would want. Never before has there been a goddess who had the same background of people like me. We'll have a place we can call home."

"Well, I saw this coming the second I saw you in goddess form Aqua Heart. I knew you'd end up making a nation and competing with us all."

"Well that's the way the cookie crumbles Noire. But relax, I'm not interested in starting arguments and confrontation between us all."

"Karen does have a point here Noire. Let's not provoke any hostility between us when she has no inclination toward it."

"Thank you Vert. I don't want to ruin this ceremonial feast with us bickering."

"There is something I do want to ask. I heard talk of a monster that was somehow able to use our fast-travel network. Is that true?"

"Yeah, it's true Blanc. In fact, not only was it able to use that network to travel to other dungeons with your system, it was able to severely poison its victims. It only faded when the host was blown to smithereens with a neutron bomb that Miyo helped build."

* * *

After I said this, I see nearly everyone's eyes turn to Miyo and she nervously chuckles and scratches the back of her head

"Ehehe. I really didn't have a choice in the matter; that monster was a mutant and had become too powerful for conventional battle. And believe it or not; ASIC went out of their way to recruit me for the job. But I don't want to talk about this."

"Why are you embarrassed Miyo? That's quite an achievement into your technological capabilities, even though the background is unsettling." Uni says with a proud smile though it faded at the talk of the reason for it all.

"I don't really like making weapons of mass destruction; If I make weapons, it'll be on a more individual case like guns, swords, bows, staves; things like that. But trust me when I say that I'd rather focus on non-combat technology. It doesn't matter how many weapons I make; it wouldn't get us any closer to home."

"Do you think you'll be able to pull it off Miyo?" I see Garrus ask with a mild frown though I think I see an emotion of hope since I imagine he misses his world just like the rest of us.

"I'll certainly try. Although the obstacle is much tougher since the dimensional veil is likely so much stronger, Ophelia was able to create tech to pierce the veil and send someone who was trapped here back; even though it imprisoned another. I have no idea if I'll live to see it, but I'll be archiving every single step I make and ensure that someone will be able to make it a reality."

"There is a question I have to ask though. Where would I even go to form a nation? There's no room on this continent."

"I have a suggestion. During our decade long journey, we've seen a fair number of foreign lands and one comes to mind. The lost island of Keisa and despite the name, it's actually a continent, but it sounds better as 'lost island' and not 'lost continent' but I digress. The shamaness: Raesa lives on a small island near the continent."

"How far away is this island?"

"Hmm, if we leave tomorrow, we would reach it by the time this month ends. We've had our blood tagged with the magic that hides the continent so we shouldn't be deterred as long as you all stay close to me and Wrex."

"Perfect; we'll depart tomorrow morning." After saying this, I immediately realize the date on when we'd arrive at the island and the day it overlaps with and although it will utterly kill my wallet trying to deal with all thirty three of us, I want to do something nice to everybody for everything they've done for us "Actually guys, before we leave, there is something I want to ask. Is there anything you all would want?" After I said this, all eyes turned to me.

"That's a random question to ask. Why are you asking Karen?" I see Uni is the one to ask me this.

"No real reason. Just curious mostly." I say as I hide the fact I'm trying to scout out gifts to get them for Christmas Eve before I leave the continent to establish my nation.

I see rather confident smirks from Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, Haruka, and Ophelia since I imagine they caught on to what I'm planning as they are helping me cover the true intention of my actions right now. Since the others have no knowledge of Earth holidays, I was able to able to get information about what they want without arousing any suspicion. However, I repeatedly had to hold back the instinct of loudly gasping out of surprise as I hear some of the items voiced out by the group since they're things that I've either never heard of in all my time here or are so expensive I'd have to find ways to get these things without slaughtering my wallet.

"Thanks for all of the input. I actually remembered that Histoire wanted to talk with me about something. I should go and meet her." I get up from where I was sitting and I walk away with a smirk of victory on my face at all this though I know very well that information is merely the first phase of any battle and in order for me to win, I need to overcome near impossible odds and gather all these items.

* * *

When I find Histoire and explain the situation about me wanting to give gifts to the CPUs and the people who fought with everything they had to secure victory against ASIC; I am answered with a short hymn and a nod of acknowledgement

"I agree that they all deserve rewards for their service. I'll speak with the other Oracles and try to arrange this deliverance of rewards. For the individuals traveling with you, I will have the items sent to your inventory remotely."

"Thank you very much Histoire. The date for this event is the twenty-fifth. While you have time to get it done, I imagine you'd want to hurry."

"Of course. Here, you will find these books most helpful with your future endeavours. Normally I would have Neptune try learning from them but she is utterly incapable of learning. They were gathering dust before now."

"What are these for?"

"They are CPU guidebooks that I wrote a very long time ago. They detail all of the magic rituals necessary for creating a nation's initial infrastructure. However, I imagine Caelus knows far more than I do since she has run her own nation before."

"I'll keep it in mind; but Caelus seemed rather irate for some reason so I may have to fall back on those books."

"Irate? What has happened to anger Caelus?"

"She said something about an 'Uzume' before she said she was going to sleep. She was very upset when she talked about it."

"Uzume...Uzume; that name doesn't ring any bells for me. But I'll look through my records and see if anyone related to the goddesses has that name."

"Thank you once again Histoire. You've given me so much help since I've gotten here."

* * *

A/N: First, I have to say; I have a particular fondness of this chapter's title; while it is said in a different way; I had inspiration from Dragon Age's Grey Wardens. Where I say: In Sacrifice, Victory; the Grey Wardens have this motto: In Peace, Vigilance. In War, Victory. In Death, Sacrifice. Here, Uzume's sacrifice brought about victory for the CPUs in this four year long war against ASIC.

I did my best to describe Wrex's M-84 Revenant, but if you want a visual representation of what it'd look like, it'd practically look like the M-76 from ME 2 or 3 with the color scheme and barrel of the Geth Spitfire from 3.

I imagine you may ask why I didn't provide descriptions on what Neptune, Noire, Blanc, and Vert look like in Next Form, but if you go to the Neptunia wikia, you can find images of their next forms. So if you want to see how they look, go there.

Anyway; when it comes to relations between my Earthling characters and the Hyperdimension CPUs, at the minimal, they'll be close enough to call each other friend but some will be far stronger in terms of connection. Karen will be the closest with Vert because of how they both are considered the parental figure of their respective groups, Katsuo will be closest to Blanc because of their similar personalities, Yuuki's is Neptune because they're both rather genki, and for Noire, it'd likely be Kazuto or perhaps Mamoru.

Next up, new character descriptions for the SMD members. But trust me when I say that none of these five will be involved in this series after this story. While a select few of my extras, namely Morita, Cobert, and Chomei have become something like ascended extras, these five will be staying only in Neptunia. In terms of age, it goes like this: Adelphos, Hamil, Leonard, Reiner, and Eldin. I'll leave the specifics vague but I will confirm one thing: they're all older than Filia.

Adelphos Furukawa - Not counting Filia, Adelphos is the youngest member of the team. His appearance is identical to Leonard but his eyes are green. His weapon of choice is a bow &amp; arrow.

Eldin Sakue - Eldin is the oldest of the team which is shown by his graying hair, but he is still a force to be reckoned with, especially since he was able to beat Filia in battle several times with his massive claymore.

Hamil Tayama - Hamil has short silver hair and gray eyes. Although he has been dismissed from the organization, he still wears his blue and white colored armor that he earned when he worked in the SMD, which was the armor of Filia's section. In addition to his gender proving he has links to someone not native to Gamindustri, he hosts a number of tattoos all over his body which were enchanted by magic, their purpose being to boost his capabilities in battle. But despite the magic boosting his strength, he was never able to beat Filia in any combat spar. Hamil's choice of weapon is a double-bladed sword.

Leonard Anami - Like his comrades in Filia's team, he keeps his brown hair short which helps them wear their armor. Although it irritates him a good deal, Reiner has joked that his eyes make people think they are looking into an endless desert. Leonard is a magic user and uses a staff in battle which allows him to materialize small energy bursts for low-cost ranged projectiles and he uses his staff as a focus for his more powerful spells. Unlike the others, Leonard is the only one speaks casually toward Filia since the others use the honorific: 'Lady'.

Reiner Nakata - Reiner's hair color is akin to the midnight sky and his dark crimson eye color matches the theme of sky color pigments. His weapon of choice is a glaive made from bones of a Guardragon.


	17. Interlude - Arc Transition

Okay guys, after this small insert chapter, I'll be transitioning the story from Arc 1 to Arc 2; and more significantly, I am throwing first person out the window from now on and changing it to third person. I will also be reducing the size of the cast by about half since I was working with 30+ characters at once by the time the ASIC war ended. For quite a while, there will be two groups with prominent appearance. The first will be a small group of three: Karen, Miyo, and Izumi and then the second group will have six people: Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, Haruka, and Ophelia. The others: Filia, Adelphos, Hamil, Leonard, Reiner, Eldin, Garrus, and Wrex will be working in the background doing their own thing. I'll be doing these short chapters at the end of every arc and I'll be listing characters that will have prominence in the following arc.


	18. Chapter 16: Sanctuary's Unveiling

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:00] December 28th 20XX

Location: [The Lost Island of Keisa]

* * *

When the time came for the group to leave the mainland, Karen had gathered everyone who wanted to travel with her: Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, Haruka, Ophelia, Miyo, Izumi, Filia, Adelphos, Hamil, Leonard, Reiner, Eldin, and the families of those SMD members. They chartered use of the Perseus for a one-way trip to that part of this world and were told that the area is outside the CPU's fast-travel network so once they departed, they would not be able to easily return, though contact would still be possible with the gauntlets Miyo and Ophelia made and distributed to everyone in the group. Even though they were faced with that outcome, none of them were not swayed at all. When the day came to depart to terra incognita, aside from Garrus and Wrex; plenty of farewells were given to the people who fought alongside them against the Arfoire Syndicate of International Crime before they boarded the Perseus.

Near the end of their journey, everyone who had traveled who had helped fight ASIC unexpectedly received a significant number of gifts in their inventories and Karen smirked rather proudly. While it hardly fazed Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Haruka, Ophelia, and Yuuki since they're all from the same world but appreciated the gesture nonetheless; Miyo, Izumi, Filia, Adelphos, Hamil, Leonard, Reiner, and Eldin were rather surprised at the gesture and were very confused about it all. Naturally, it required explanations from Karen and the others for them to understand the reasoning behind it.

After about two and a half weeks at sea, the Perseus had reached the vicinity of a moderate sized island with plenty of forests and mountains and it is connected to what seems to be a massive landmass through a small walkway made completely of sand though considering it is surrounded by water, it is entirely possible it is only usable at certain times. After hearing of the imminent arrival, everyone gathered on the forward deck to deliberate the situation.

"There it is: the lost island of Keisa. Raesa Marlene lives on that small island with her folks. I imagine we should go meet with her, but while she's friendly, she's not exactly good with crowds so let's keep the number of people meeting with her to three: Me, Wrex, and Karen." Garrus explains rather calmly about the situation regarding with the shaman the pair have been working with.

"If you think that is wise, we'll work with that, but what about the rest of us? What should we do?" Katsuo inquires with a rather valid point in mind since direction has only been relayed to three members of the group.

"I want you all to scout out the continent and find potential sites to build our new nation's capital. However, we'll set up a camp near the edge of the water on the mainland. We'll keep the noncombatants there while the rest of of scout." Karen says with the same kind of aura and authority she once exercised as Solaris in Aincrad. Although it is rather rusty, it has clearly evolved into a different state over the years.

"Got it. You'll have to ask these guys if they can help keep us supplied. We have limited food and we don't have any tents. While you deal with that front, I'll help lead the expeditionary teams." Filia interjects as she takes off her armor for the first time, as far as anyone has seen, since she joined the group since she said she wanted to keep her connection to the SMD alive. The clothing underneath the armor is quickly seen as a long sleeved shirt colored peach with an apricot colored collar and she's wearing gold colored shorts with a vertical line pattern to them.

"I'll make sure it's taken care of somehow. Don't worry about it. And wow, that's unexpected from you Filia." Karen mutters out of mild surprise seeing that the usually serious Filia have such casual attire under her armor "_Dang. If someone were to rate her shorts, it would be classified as 'Grade A' Zettai Ryouiki. I had no idea Filia could look so girly after everything I've seen of her._"

"Even I like to kick back every now and then. Besides, now that the time of the SMD is behind us all; I am putting my armor to rest." Filia explains as applies some pressure to her shoulders and rotates them "There we go. My arms have been rather stiff for a while now."

* * *

After deliberating the situation, the group leave the Perseus and divide into their groups to go about their own duties. It was decided that Karen, Wrex, and Garrus would go meet with Raesa and her family; Filia, Mamoru, and Katsuo would lead teams named Dragon, Wolf, and Phoenix respectively, with Haruka, Yuuki, Ophelia, and Izumi staying behind with the families and the others were divided into the different groups: Filia had Reiner and Eldin accompanying her, Mamoru had Adelphos and Leonard, and Katsuo had Kazuto, Miyo, and Hamil following his lead.

Karen, Wrex, and Garrus walk across the nearby sand-bridge to the smaller connected island and notice a large log house hidden deep within the island's forest at the foot of the mountain ranges which surround most of the island. There are also plowed fields surrounding a great deal of the residence and are tended by what seem to be earth, wind, and water elemental familiars.

"This is the place. I find it both funny and a little irritating that you made it here so easily Karen."

"Why do you say that Garrus? Was it challenging?" Karen inquires before noticing the familiars and simply stared in awe.

"Challenging...I guess that's a term that can be used here. Wrex and I spent a decade deciphering all of the puzzles the shaman's family established to find this place, and when we found that their home was hardly a month away from the four nations, hidden behind a special magic field, we were so mad. I wish Thraaklon had told us of that before he died since I had wanted to keep an eye on Miyo since she was still a little kid and needed a parental figure in her life and I wanted to ensure she had a stable life."

"I can see why you would be angry about that now Garrus." Karen simply muses as she hears this new information from Garrus "Anyway, who do all these familiars belong to?"

"They belong to some ancestor of this family who brought them into existence. They're apparently immortal beings who were assigned to manage the fields, shrines, and granaries on this island. That's pretty much all they can do since their intelligence are about equal with an average krogan, hence; not very."

"You have a lot of guts saying that in front of me Vakarian." Wrex says with a degree of hostility before proudly laughing "Normally I would never be this amused by a turian but you are one of the few people I would consider a true friend."

"Well, you won me over with your heartwarming personality Wrex. I imagine it's not much of a challenge since you won over every Krogan clan in existence after your contributions to curing the Genophage, and let's not forget Bakara's assistance."

"Fair enough. It actually makes me wonder how she and Mordin are faring a little since we've been here twelve years."

"I still can't believe you named your firstborn daughter after him. I had presumed you were joking with Shepard."

"Who is this Shepard? I heard the name mentioned once or twice."

"He was our leader: Humanity's first Spectre and the man who brought about the destruction of the Reapers. He was undoubtedly humanity's strongest soldier. Humans, Asari, Turian, Salarian, Batarian, Geth, Krogan, Vorcha; nothing was able to stop him when he got serious. The only ones who managed to succeed were the Collectors and they were more or less wiped out when Shepard came back. His background was far from easy but it only proves that we should never underestimate the Alliance." Garrus explains as he stares at the sky, with a proud smile on his face as he talks about his leader back in his dimension.

"What was his background? I can't help but say I'm intrigued."

"He was born on Earth surviving in the criminal underworld. He joined the Alliance military when he became of age since he wanted a better life for himself. His military record was quiet up until a massive Batarian attack happened on a planet called Elysium when he was on shore leave. He was up against ten thousand enemies on the surface and he held them all back on his own for several hours until reinforcements from the Systems Alliance arrived and drove them back."

"_Woah_, and people thought _I_ had an impressive record in terms of combat; it pales in comparison to that."

"Don't be discouraged; he was his own person and the same applies to you. Don't think for a moment that you have to achieve impossibly high standards."

"Thanks I suppose. Now, where is this Raesa?"

"If she's not here, she'll be at one of the temples in the mountains. While this is their home, they spend a great deal of time up there since all of the magic they've used over the years turned that area into a place for them to use their more complicated magic rituals. Wait here and I'll see." Garrus says as he walks forward to knock on the door to the building.

* * *

Instantly after the door opens, Garrus gets tackled by a young girl with waist long green hair and cat ears on the top of her head and lands near them. Her attire is similar to what Karen wears in her goddess form but with the bottom half of the hakama being largely absent though it covers her lower waist enough. In addition, there is a faint shimmer around the girl's body when she rapidly showed herself and tackled Garrus. Karen draws her sword out of surprise but what surprised her more was that Wrex of all people forcibly lowers Karen's sword and solemnly shakes his head, telling her to stand down.

"You certainly have mastered your 'steelification' spell Raesa." Garrus mutters with a cough from how he just got tackled in the stomach by the young girl.

"Tehehe. Thank you Garri. Oh, you're here too Wrexie? And who's this?" Hearing Raesa say this made Karen remember when Airi was younger since she gave her and Makoto nicknames themselves: Ren and Koto.

"Raesa, I have told you not to call me 'Garri' and the same applies with Wrex. And this is Karen. But listen, I need to ask you two things."

"And what would that be?"

"First. Get off me; you're heavy when you have that spell active." Garrus groans as he says this, with Raesa getting up after hearing it "Second. Where are your folks? Including us, we have about forty people who need shelter and food."

"Everyone but my mother is meditating in the mountain. Come in and meet her."

* * *

The trio enter the house and walk toward the dining room of the house, with Raesa heading back outside, to find a woman with forest green colored hair, with her hair having indentations similar to cat ears near the top of her head, and electric blue eyes wearing only a plain white strapless dress with a small green ribbon on the front and has spring green wings on her back with it having four segments on both sides.

"Welcome travelers. It's been a while since I've seen anyone not among my family here. Before I had only seen you, Wrex, and my younger brother: Spark."

"Spark? Where have I...wait. Miyo mentioned him!"

"Miyo? Are you talking about a girl called Miyo Hanari? My brother told me a while back he met a girl with that name and she impressed him. But the thing is, I haven't heard from him for the last couple of months, and he would always send a letter atleast once a month. Do you know what happened to him?"

"He uh...He's actually dead. If I heard her right, he died some time this year."

"Oh my. That's horrible! But I had suspected something bad had happened when he sent me this letter." The woman exclaimed in dismay before getting up to walk over to a nearby box and pulls out a neatly folded letter and brings it back to the table "Here, this is the last letter Spark sent me."

They gather around the woman and read the last letter Spark had sent his sister

"_Little sister, one of my acquaintances in Planeptune's Guild has told of me of a dungeon that has been discovered not too long ago. The approximate location is to the south of Planeptune. I'm preparing an expedition to gather materials you could use for your magicks in addition to an information gathering Op. I am thankful your distance from dungeons has kept you safe, but there has been rumors of growing intellect from the monsters living within. I'm going to ascertain the truth of this and report what I find. Take care of yourself and your family little Bae'lin. Give Raesa my regards. I'll come visit when I take care of this. Spark._"

"So the monster issue has been happening for quite a while like Miyo said. And it claimed Spark's life in addition to Driin."

"Karen, let's get to the point. We need to get supplies to everyone." Garrus interjects rather solemnly since he wants her back on the important subjects.

"Oh yeah. Miss Bae'lin, I need to ask your family for help. I came with a group of forty to establish a new nation on the nearby continent. The thing is, we don't exactly have many supplies and we'd likely run out by tomorrow night."

"Establishing a nation? You must be a goddess."

"That I am."

"Well, I can say one thing with great certainty: We don't have enough food to feed forty people on such short notice but we are more than willing to share our excess food with you. However, we can create temporary housing for your followers with our magic. I'll go talk with my husband and the others and set things up." After saying this, Bae'lin instantly vanishes, leaving Karen, Garrus, and Wrex on their own.

"Woah. Instantaneous teleportation magic? That's unexpected."

"She can only use it on this island and on Keisa. If I know this family, they'll be helping set up camp by the time we make it back to the others. Let's get back and try to make the families comfortable until we can develop proper city infrastructure."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [18:00] December 28th 20XX

Location: [The Lost Island of Keisa]

After returning to base camp, Karen, Garrus, and Wrex find Raesa's family have finished building a series of buildings made entirely of earth materials for the group.

"You finally made it. I guess it must have taken a while walking when we can teleport freely. My family easily agreed to your request to construct temporary housing for your people, but food is still an issue." Bae'lin explains with a calm, near angelic, voice as she leads some of the people into some buildings.

"We'll find a way to get by Bae'lin. Tenacity is an interesting virtue of humanity after all." Karen explains rather proudly as she walks toward the others in the camp.

"I see. I heard from everyone here that three teams have been sent into the surrounding areas. But can I ask why this action was made?"

"We're trying to learn the terrain of this continent so we have expeditions scouting. We're also trying to coordinate the perfect area to establish our new city. Speaking of that, I should contact them." Karen voices this rather casually before pressing a few buttons on her gauntlet arm "I'm requesting update reports. What have you found?"

"_This is Wolf team. We've found a huge forest a few hours to the northeast of base camp. We have found many plants and fruits that should be able to keep us fed for quite a while, though mass transport will be tricky because of how far away this place is. Adelphos and Leonard volunteered to get some for us all. I'm returning to help draw a map of the region._"

"_Dragon team here. We've spotted massive mountain ranges to the north which seems to divide this clearing from the rest of the continent. By the time we got close to those mountains, it would be sunset tomorrow and we lack the gear and time to safely proceed through mountainous terrain so we're returning to base camp._"

"_Phoenix team reporting. We've found nothing but wide open plains out here, though the large expanses are perfect for large-scale colonization. It's getting late so we're returning to camp._"

"Okay; the teams have given their reports and they're all rather interesting, and promising for the ritual I need for the creation of this country. I've been studying these books Histoire gave me to find out how to establish a nation in the first place. But even the basics are incredibly complex, I barely understand it."

"Even you can't understand it Karen?" Ophelia asks, with her being utterly surprised at the thought. She then has the thought that if Karen can barely comprehend the contents of the guide to use her power as a goddess to create a nation, then she strongly suspects no one else would understand.

"Barely. I would ask Caelus but she's been silent ever since we destroyed ASIC, so I have to figure things out on my own. Whether it's her trying to teach me to use initiative or not, I can't allow inexperience to hinder our progress, so I'll find a way to compensate for this."

"I'd expect nothing less out of you Karen. Ever since I met you in Aincrad, you've had a really stubborn streak and a strong desire to commit a hundred and twenty percent."

"Thanks Haruka. I'd better get to work on understanding the contents of this book since we all need proper homes soon." Karen smiles at the compliment and she activates her temporary HDD to fly up to a small mesa nearby and lays out all of the books around her and gets to work on studying how to actually make her nation.

"Mmm...I do wish Karen had asked Vert, Blanc, or Noire about the subject though. While Noire seemed unwilling to divulge information, she might have if Karen had asked, Blanc seemed friendly enough underneath her temper and Vert seemed to truly like Karen. And while I don't really like insulting people, Neptune appears utterly incompetent when it comes to this subject. I think Vert or Blanc would have been very willing to give information on the subject." Even though Haruka was optimistic about Karen's resolve, she was rather realistic when it comes to the current situation since everyone is in a mildly precarious state on the landmass.

"Yeah, I won't disagree with you Haruka. While Karen seems a little uneasy this time, I know her well enough that she is not someone who admits defeat easily. I believe that if we put our trust in her, she'll pull through."

"But I can't help but worry if she can handle it. She has shouldered a lot of burdens and I am fearful that she may collapse under it all one day."

"Once again, I can see that. I talked with the others from time to time and they do say she heavily involves herself in all of her operations back in Aincrad. While she shared credit among everyone when victories were earned, but when she faced failures, she took all the blame herself. As strong as she is, I can't help but worry for her state of mind."

"Agreed. But let's stop it here; Karen is frightening when she's mad." Haruka states with a nervous smile as she walks away, not wanting to make her mad.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] December 31st 20XX

Location: [The Lost Island of Keisa]

Over the next couple of days, the group had spent their time combining their knowledge of the nearby terrain into a map that has been distributed to the three group leaders as Leonard, Izumi, and Bae'lin had been helping Karen draw massive magic circles around the clearing as she discovered that this is a required part of the ritual to create a nation. According to the book, normally it'd fall to the goddess to do it but her inexperience with magic in Gamindustri made her ask the three experienced magi among them to help with that part, though there was nothing recorded that forbade outside assistance. The complexity of the task was made evident when it took an hour to make each individual magic circle and it took six hours for the trio to complete the necessary number of circles across the clearing while ensuring the nearby forest is kept since the colonists need that forest for its food until a proper self-sustaining food supply can be established elsewhere.

When the time came for Karen to commence the ritual, she had to go to every magic circle and instill a portion of her power into each one. According to the guide books Karen had been studying, the magic circles will always remain inert unless a goddess herself instills power to activate it and the final phase requires direct goddess involvement. After she is sure that all of the circles are finished, she follows the steps in the book and proceeds to the apex of the area to finish it.

"Okay. Here we go." Karen hums as she sits down in a lotus stance, with the magic circles resonating to her presence.

"_**Karen, this is extremely important. The city you create will be based on your thoughts and you can't change it later.**_"

"_You're finally talking to me again Caelus?_"

"_**Only because you're doing something irreversible. I want to give you fair warning.**_"

"_Well thank you regardless Caelus. I haven't heard a peep from you since we left the mainland. I was concerned._"

"_**Yeah well, you're welcome. Now focus.**_"

* * *

Karen mentally nods in acknowledgement and she clears her head to allow for the image of the city she wishes to create materialize in her mind: A futuristic city which would eventually allow the creation of technology that would be able to send people back to their own worlds. When this image is successfully materialized, the entire field began glowing very brightly which made everyone cover their eyes. When the light fades, a very urbanized city, with patches of green nature across the area, appears all around them and there is a building that tower all others; this building itself appears to be an amalgamation of smaller buildings on its own island off the shore. In addition to all of the city's infrastructure, a number of ships also materialized in a nearby harbor area.

"Woah. This makes me think of a futuristic Tokyo." Katsuo mumbles as he gazes at the surrounding cityscape.

"Now we just have to properly colonize this place. Garrus, you've indirectly talked about places you've seen on your decade long journey. Are there people who want to join our community?"

"Tons. Before now, there were only four places truly safe; and those four places were the four countries in the 'mainland'. They didn't have the ability or desire to travel long distances on slow ships, but if we show people this new nation exists, they'll likely flock here since they lived rather perilous lives living away from the goddess' protection. If you'd like, we could take some of those ships and bring them here."

"Do it. And while you're away, we can begin laying down foundations. I'll claim that tower as the head of the government."

After Karen gave this order, Garrus and Wrex walk toward the ships to revisit old settlements and gather settlers for the new nation.

"I'm going to go with them Lady Aqua Heart. They could use all the help they can get." Leonards says this with Adelphos and Reiner following him in the direction of the ships.

"Have to say Karen; you certainly are overcompensating yourself on this one." Katsuo grins rather confidently when he hears that Karen essentially claimed the biggest building in the country as her home.

"Hey, I'm this country's goddess and I built this place. I deserve it. Though, it'll be a nightmare getting around it, and let's not forget cleaning it. Miyo, Izumi, I want you two to help administer the country."

"Urk...that was one thing I was afraid of to be honest. Well, I do want a sanctuary for people who went through what we went through. If I have to act like a secretary, so be it."

"Karen; what are you going to name this nation?" Kazuto inquires as he leans against a nearby wall.

"Hmm. Based on what I know; goddesses create their nations with a desire to protect their citizens and enrich their lives. On paper, it is considered a paradise." Karen then shifts her gaze in the direction of the northern mountains Filia reported during her early patrols "I'll name this nation...Arcadia."


	19. Chapter 17: Implementation of Order

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [6:30] April 9th 21XX

Location: [Arcadia Undercity]

* * *

When organized crime began to emerge within Arcadia roughly four days ago, Katsuo had gathered his friends to take a stand since Karen is far too busy keeping the nation from falling apart in terms of safety though ironically, Arcadia's shares, which normally count as a nation's stability, are remarkably stable when Karen created a company: Millennia to produce games for the nation and appointed the president: Ganache to work as a public subsidiary to the Basilicom and has proven to be very efficient and talented at running the company.

The company has specialized in virtual reality PC gaming with their first console: Eclipse, which Miyo made the initial blueprints of with Karen's assistance (though the prototype was given to Millennia) as she drew inspiration from Earth's NerveGear and AmuSphere, with it having a similar frame to the NerveGear but made of lighter materials and incorporated features that the AmuSphere possessed, particularly the low frequency transmitter Miyo designed that, upon analysis, is far more powerful yet still safe just like the AmuSphere the idea came from. In addition to the low frequency transmitter, it also possessed medical advancements that originated from Planeptune hospitals which regularly monitor the wearer's vitals and if anything awry were to happen, it is programmed to immediately force the individual out of virtual reality and dials the nearest medical station to prevent any kind of incident from occurring. However, while Eclipse did indeed keep many people in Arcadia content with unique gaming opportunities not available in any of the nations, happiness and safety are two different things and Katsuo's newly formed team are one of the few interested in safety.

Not long after she formed the nation, there was a faint link of the CPU fast-travel network, which dissolved shortly after she returned and would need assistance from a skilled Oracle to reconstruct it, which she used to return to Planeptune for a meeting to make a ten year deal with the four oracles to have food and raw materials delivered to a warehouse outside Arcadian territory. She only expected it to last two days at the absolute longest, but it took ten with numerous recesses for a decision to be made: In exchange for the food and raw materials that would be delivered to Arcadia and for the CPUs to introduce a law within Gamindustri, with Histoire's aid, to have all foreign visitors end up in the community center in the nation, she would share Arcadia's technological and cultural advancements with the other four nations though one compromise was made on Karen's side. She would provide diverse culture whenever it is fully understood since she hardly cared about this field, but she requested that technology be handled on a case-by-case basis to maintain some sort of edge.

Katsuo's call to action happened late last night and he has left early, wearing a black cloak to hide his appearance, to gather armaments they will need to combat the criminals plaguing the city. He hates that he has to do this, but he knew that he would have to go to the undercity's black market to ensure that he and his team will have a level playing field when fighting against the criminal groups. Along the way to the black market, he bumped into a group of six, whom are also hiding their appearances underneath brown cloaks, that walked out of a nearby street corner, with Katsuo having not noticed them walk in front of him.

"Watch where you're going, nyu." One of the people Katsuo bumped into retorts with a sharp tongue and what utterly surprised him was that this person was oddly floating in the air unlike the girl's comrades.

"Not my problem. I can barely see with this cloak on." Despite his surprise at the floating person in front of him, he still is able to retort rather firmly toward the young sounding girl.

"That's enough young assistant. We were told by a higher power to safeguard this new land so we will do so. After all, she has gone out of her way to recruit every one of us to do this. The least we could do is fulfill her mission to the best of our ability." Although her appearance is largely hidden, parts of her blue hair and eyes shine through the darkness her cloak projects, and her very calm demeanor is rather noticeable.

"She does have a point there. We all were living boring lives before Lady Tenn approached us all and asked for our assistance here. Safeguarding one city is worth it." Because of the cloak, her big red eyes are the only thing that can be seen. Though what slightly irritates him is that her voice sounds like the girl lacks self-confidence far worse than 5pb, whom he has briefly traveled with.

"Er, who is this 'Lady Tenn'?"

"She actually doesn't want us revealing her name yet. She wishes to remain shrouded in shadows until she believes it is the right time to reveal herself. Atleast, that's what she tells us." Like most, the only thing Katsuo could see of the girl is her bright orange eyes which have music notes in lieu of standard pupils.

"That is strange. But look, I don't have the time to chat. I need to get something for my friends like...yesterday."

"Lucky coincidence. We actually need to acquire weapons for our mission. Mind if we accompany you?" Unlike the others, aside from the last girl, the tone from this one is rather upbeat. What can be seen of her facial expression easily proves that. Like every other girl in the group from what he gathered, she has tanned skin, green eyes, short choppy blonde hair, and notices two different tattoos on her face; the right side having a small C inside a bigger C and a 2 on the left side.

"Not going to happen. A part of me tells me that you won't be taking this seriously and I'm not trusting this nation's safety on random whims. I'll trust only rock solid resolve." Katsuo is easily getting irritated with the situation in front of him and wants to hurry and get weapons from the black market dealer even though the thought sickens him.

Although he knows nothing about running a country or nation or whatever the CPUs like to call it, he promised himself that he would do whatever he could to ensure Arcadia's continued existence since he has heard that Miyo and Ophelia would require a substantial amount of scientific expertise in order to successfully deal with the dimensional veil and ensure that everyone trapped in Gamindustri would be able to return home. Since they both have said that they have no idea how long it would take, Karen did something bold for people who are going through this: She offered to halt their biological clocks, effectively making them immortal, until a confirmed way to control the barrier since Miyo wishes to avoid anything drastic; especially when she has said that if she could find a way to control the barrier, she could ensure no one would be drawn into Gamindustri against their will and trapped in this world. The only ones in the immediate group who refused the offer were the former SMD members since they have expressed that they have lived their whole lives in Gamindustri and wouldn't call their 'native' world home. Filia was the sole exception among their ranks since the number of generations between her and the original is singular unlike many others, even though she knew this would mean that she would remain the same age while her squad members would grow old and eventually die.

In addition, a question had been asked at the time about how the subject of aging works in this world and it has been speculated that individuals that are descended from Gamindustri natives age at a slower speed though it only seemed to apply after a number of generations pass which could possibly be tied to bloodlines and what Histoire had said once before 'Time flows much faster in Gamindustri.' While this easily confused over half of the group, Karen and Miyo speculated that perhaps the varied amounts of bloodline through generations gradually switched individual aging processes of Gamindustri's rapid speed with the other worlds' slower speed, but this opinion came from a machinist and a casual gamer strategist so they knew there were gaps of logic in their theory, but that was the best thing they could think of and would need to consult professionals skilled with genetics and various other fields of biology or wait who knows how long from Histoire to get a proper answer.*

"We _are_ taking this serious mister. Lady Tenn wants us protecting this nation. We have the same goal here so let us tag along with you." The girl who said this, from what he can see, has short red hair and big orange eyes.

"Grrr...I give up. Fine. You can come along, but don't get in my way, understood?" Katsuo snarls this since he has crossed the limits of his tolerance at the current moment. He knows what he has to do and he has little qualms killing to achieve it. He has killed people to protect what he holds dear to his heart before and he is willing to do it again if necessary.

"Glad you saw reason nyu. You wouldn't be able to stop us even if you tried nyu."

* * *

After this, Katsuo walked off to where the black market dealer is with his new 'entourage'. He journeys through the city's figurative underbelly and stops in front of a building with a small falcon crest embedded in the door and turns to the people following him

"Okay, before we enter, I need to warn you all of one thing. This place is the heart of the criminal underworld; every criminal that operates from here will be watching your every move. Piss someone off and you'll likely find yourself in a ditch or something to that effect. This may be neutral ground but it is by no means safe. While fighting is technically off limits, I can easily think of ways I could kill you without even alerting the guards or making a sound. So play it safe."

After getting a nod of acknowledgement, Katsuo pushes the door open with a firm shove and walks across the large, low-class looking, room which was designed with the thought of holding a lot of people with questionable morals and the moment he entered the room, nearly all eyes turned in his direction as he walked toward the counter at the far end of the room and the stares are far from friendly since Katsuo can feel the desire to shed blood in their auras. Despite that, he is keeping a calm face since he can't let weakness be seen as he can easily tell that if he panics, it'll be a cruel invitation for them all to try wiping him and his friends out, and that is the absolute last thing he wants. After traveling through the room, he sits down on a bar stool at the counter, waiting for the individual that has been supplying these criminals with weapons to approach. When the man appears, Katsuo is unable to see his appearance since his face is covered with a black mask of a futuristic design with bright yellow eyepieces which allow him to see with it on, wearing a fancy black suit with a red tie covering his body and shiny black gloves; all hiding who is underneath it all.

"How may I help you?" The man's voice was obviously being hidden with a voice changer since it was rather robotic.

Katsuo calmly pulls a sheet of paper and a medium sized pouch out from within his cloak, slightly moving the paper forward "I need weapons. Roughly fifty. There are a few specifics required here, but for the rest, I'll take anything. And I have enough credits from past jobs to cover the cost. Half a million."

"Fifty eh? That's a lot for one person."

"I'm not claiming them for myself. I'm forming my own gang."

"Now that makes sense. But be aware that you have a _lot_ of competition here in Arcadia."

"I'm aware. I'm taking them all down."

"Ooh, you certainly are bold, but at the same time, stupid."

"Old news pal. Just get me my weapons."

"I'll need to check the stores. I'll hold on to the pouch while I go."

When the man attempts to take the pouch, Katsuo swiftly grabs it and puts it back under his cloak

"I don't think so. I wouldn't trust you criminal lowlifes as far as I can throw you. I'll keep my money until I see the weapons myself."

"You're smarter than I thought. But your attitude here will hardly win any favors with anyone. A lot of people will want you dead. However, I like that moxy you're showing. Let me delve into what I have available."

* * *

After saying this, the man walks into the back room and Katsuo's 'entourage' walk close and sit down near him

"Mind if we ask for your name mister?" The girl with orange hair and eyes inquires as she sat down right next to Katsuo.

"Not the time girl. I am not giving my name in the devil's den and I don't want you giving yours here. Not unless you're suicidal." Katsuo retorts rather angrily, not wanting the girls revealing their names in this place.

Almost immediately after, the man returns with a futuristic weapon case and presents it to Katsuo

"You're in luck young man. I just received a new shipment of weapons and a number of cases made by the mysterious engineer Mika, whoever she is."

"_So he's not making these weapons himself. He's getting these from an outside source. When I finish here I'll send a few of these weapons to Ophelia or Miyo and ask for an analysis to be made. Perhaps they can figure out where this stuff is coming from through the parts it's made of. When we find out where, perhaps we can try asking Blanc and the others to deal with the source._" Katsuo then looks at the case and notices a familiar crest on the top: A silver emblem with four gears with a flamberge and carbine overlapping as they connect southwest and southeast respectively "_Where have I-? Wait, this is Miyo's signature crest! Why is she…? She does have a record of helping criminal organizations. When I see her, I am going to demand an explanation for this! If she's intentionally helping these damn criminals, I am going to tell Karen to lock her up in prison._"

Katsuo opens the case to find a plethora of weapons with it primarily being guns with a few swords and a bow per his request. He looks through them all and takes a fancy toward a well made sword with a tiffany blue colored blade and a guard with a great deal of extravagance and a small statue face emblem. One of the few problems is that the handle is rather small so while it's meant to be a two-handed sword, he'll have to wield it as a one-hander; so he'll need to train with Kazuto since he has experience with such things. He inspects the bow and notices it appears to be made out of a material similar to ebony and enhanced with a great number of mechanical additions; a high-tech scope is the most visible among them. After personally inspecting each weapon, he puts the pouch of credits back on the table.

"There you go. Half a million credits for the weapons."

"Pleasure doing business."

"Same." Katsuo returns with a firm frown as he gets up but stops once he does so, looking toward the five girls that sat around him "Finish your business here and I'll atleast see you to safety."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [7:30] April 9th 21XX

Location: [Arcadia Basilicom]

After ensuring the group of girls made it to a safe distance from the criminal underworld, who he soon found went by Broccoli, CyberConnect2 (who preferred going by Cybercon or CC2), MAGES., MarvelousAQL (who preferred Marvelous or Marvy), Tekken, and what truly threw him off guard was that the last girl addressed herself as Falcom since he knows her from his adventures against ASIC and this isn't her, however he figures that she must be some parallel duplicate since he has encountered several people from other worlds before, he prepared to leave the area to go to the Basilicom. Though he hid a small chuckle hearing that the girls' names were identical to old game companies and series from his world.

When this was done, he puts the weapon case in his inventory and takes out a special case which quickly unfolds into a high-tech motorcycle, the top half being colored silver with a faint blue to the bottom half. When he starts it up, a transparent energy shield is projected over the exposed top which was designed as a safety feature in the event of crashes and a helmet materializes immediately afterward. When he makes it to the Basilicom after traversing half the town, he gets off his motorcycle, packs it up and enters the massive building, noticing that aside from a single desk full of paperwork, the building is utterly empty aside from Karen, Miyo, and Izumi since they're the only ones who stay here for long periods of time. However, there is little inactivity within the tower since Miyo constructed dozens of small robots to handle maintaining the building since there are no other employees to do such things, powered through electronic panels embedded in the lower end of the walls and the power comes from an underground hydropower generator carefully designed to ensure a perpetual supply of power, since none of them can handle it since they are busy enough with the the daily paperwork and their own duties: Miyo teaches weekly classes about using the technology to the citizens in a local community center. Izumi has been helping at a free clinic when it was established a week after Arcadia's formation though she is only able to truly go and help twice a week; while Izumi is one of the lead healers, she doesn't work on her own since a number of other healers arrived through Garrus' and Wrex's pilgrimages and work there full-time. And Karen vanishes a few times a week with her never telling anyone where she goes, which does inconvenience both Miyo and Izumi since she is the goddess of this nation and that's not including occasion when others wished to talk with her but were unable to since she was gone.

When Katsuo reaches the main desk, a teleporter pad activates as it rapidly rises and falls, with Miyo soon exiting when her presence fully materialized.

"Good to see you Katsuo."

"Where's Karen?" Katsuo snarls rather irritably, knowing that he has a bone to pick with Miyo regardless.

"She went out an hour ago, so I'm here by myself since Izumi had to head to the clinic. Told me not to expect her for the rest of the day. She deactivated her gauntlet's computer systems like usual so you can't track her that way. Do you need to pass a message to her? I can leave a note for you."

"Not needed. It involves you."

"Me? Is there something you need?"

"Yeah. Explain this to me Miyo!" Katsuo exclaims as he pulls the case out of his inventory and shows it to Miyo.

Miyo inspects the case to see what Katsuo is so angry about and recognizes the design "My hammerspace vault invention? Is it broken? I can take a look at it. Er, wait, how did you get one? I don't give those out freely considering how seldom I get to make them."

"That's not the issue here! Considering that I was able to easily acquire this from a criminal black market ring, you must be in cahoots with them; creating all the chaos in the city! I should have suspected considering your history with ASIC."

After Katsuo finished venting this, Miyo simply crossed her arms and glared at him with a tranquil fury when he basically accused her of willingly supporting criminals simply because of her history with ASIC.

"Okay listen Katsuo. Don't even get started with me. You haven't been stranded in this world for eleven years. I was _six_ years old when I found myself here. You had the luxury of having friends with you to soften the blow of separation from your world. I didn't. Although I had Izumi traveling with me for a long time, I have spent an extremely long time traveling all by myself trying to do what Thraaklon had done for so long. It was a responsibility I felt I had to fulfill when he was gone. And don't you _damn_ forget that I had to survive for _years_ on my own! Spark, Driin, Filia, the CPUs...know that I had a lot of trouble trusting people growing up. While I was close to them, I didn't trust them enough to keep me safe at the time. If you want to hate me for everything I did to survive, go ahead. Do I hate past decisions I've made? Yeah I do. Do I regret them? You have no idea. But I swore a long time ago that I would never let those decisions hold me back. Back when I began working with ASIC, trying to find honest work was near impossible and we needed money to keep ourselves alive, so Izumi and I created monikers with clothes made here in Gamindustri hiding our appearance. Remember that despite what you saw of their leaders, a lot of good people were in similar situations like me and joined ASIC since they needed work of some type to pay for food, water, shelter; the like. Though it hardly matters since they're all dead."

"Look Miyo. This speech doesn't explain why this tech is in the hands of criminals!"

"Do you think food magically appears on our tables Katsuo? It's not cheap having food brought here from our food plants or from overseas. We have no money flowing in so I sell what inventions I can make with what little time I have available. I sell them to who is willing to pay for them. And I made a deal with a contact who would pay a lot of money for my inventions. That contact likely being the person you're talking about. For all its worth, he was very professional and upfront with his deals."

After this, Katsuo quickly got fed up hearing anything more from Miyo and angrily walked out of the building

"Wonderful. I was in a relatively good mood and he had to go and ruin it." Miyo groans as she walks toward the desk and inspects the huge stack of paperwork on it "Alright, considering the deadlines we made, all of the paperwork we're accepting today are here. Time to lock the place up. Thankfully, I did upload the clearance codes to the security system to their gauntlets so they can open the doors when they finish their business in town."

When Miyo walks toward the massive doors to lock them, they are unexpectedly opened by a pair that she never expected to see ever again when ASIC was defeated.

"Linda? Pirachu? How? Wait, how in the world did you even find this continent?! Bae'lin hasn't managed to alter the magical barriers yet!"

"Erm...good to see you again Miyo. And to answer your question; Kei Jinguji got me here with a prototype magic negator since she figured that only magic on a massive scale could hide a whole continent. It created a temporary gap in the barrier though it only works for a few minutes at a time. I actually came here for a reason though."

"And what would that be? You're a long way from the mainland you know. And remember that your actions toward me and my friends were far from friendly."

"I know alright. But...remember that I was living on the streets before ASIC brought me into their ranks. And I know that Pirachu and I have done rather...unsettling things, but we want to start over from square one. No crime, no law breaking, none of that this time. None of the Oracles really trust either of us so we had little option here."

"That's right chump. After CFW Magic tried killing us in Gapain Field, we fled to an abandoned safe house north of Haneda City and contemplated our lives. We want to live honestly this time chump."

"Hrm; thing is Linda, Pirachu; we technically don't have the resources to keep staff. Izumi and I work here with the knowledge we won't be getting payed here. We lack the infrastructure of a proper government here."

"I have no problem with not getting paid. I'll be content having honest work for once."

"Well, okay then. Let me lock up the place and we can get to the paperwork."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [8:00] April 9th 21XX

Location: [Arcadia Undercity - Hideout]

After storming out of the Basilicom, Katsuo returned to his group's hideout built within the mountains in Arcadia's northern border. While it was designed extensively for strategic purposes as a fortified position in case of attack with the door being made of a material similar to titanium, it does have a number of creature comforts since people live in the fortress full-time and Ophelia has been constantly upgrading both the residential areas and the tunnel network to help in their future operations since they'll need a haven to hide in if things go awry and passageways their group could easily escape through. When he enters the subterranean hideout, he finds only Mamoru in the main living room, sharpening Kazuto's swords with a whetstone.

"Huh. I didn't know you left Katsuo. Where have you been?"

"Shopping. I needed to get things we needed for our upcoming assaults." Katsuo grimly responds, taking his case and puts it on a nearby table with Mamoru leaving his whetstone and Kazuto's swords on a small side table. He then walks toward the case and inspects the contents.

"Weapons? While I can understand the desire to outfit our team with weapons, some of these appear specifically picked for us. Where did you get these anyway?"

"I can't tell you Mamoru. Just know that my goal is the same as ours: Keeping this land safe."

"Look Katsuo, I respect your commitment in this, but remember that power can consume even the purest of souls. It's obvious from the enchantments that these weapons were designed with the intention of murder and if you aren't careful; it'll devour you without you even knowing. Trust me."

"I-I don't get it. What are you talking about?"

"Floor 99 of Aincrad. I was saved by Kayaba with the knowledge I'd have to fight whoever would confront me then. Kayaba encoded a series of codes in my character data when he saved me in that first month which made me like him in a degree. While I could lose HP like anyone else, I would become an immortal object if my HP was close to yellow."

"Oh yeah, you mentioned it once. You wanted to protect Haruka right?"

"Yeah. At the time, she had just lost her foster parents and I was so damn close to dying; any family she had would've been gone. I didn't want her going through hell. So I accepted Kayaba's offer to stay alive."

"Not to offend, but could you get to the point? I'm not in the mood for stories."

"You have no idea how close I was to becoming corrupt with power back then. It took all of the willpower I had not to kill you guys. Realize that if XANA hadn't shown up in Aincrad and if I didn't go with Kazuto to that hidden dungeon underneath the Black Iron Prison when the ALF discovered it per chance, you guys would've been forced to kill me to progress. And considering how strong I was and the weapons I had access to, I may have managed to kill you guys."

"Hidden dungeon? What did you find down there that saved your life?"

"A GM console. When Hector and Amelia were hired by Argus to help oversee security for the game's launch, Kayaba gave them high-clearance access so they could do their job as counter-hackers. I suspected that I would've only had one chance to use that account before Kayaba caught on and locked me out, so I kept it to myself until I truly needed it. And I used that access to force the door to floor 100 open. But to make this story short; keep power at hand yet at shoulder length."

"Duly noted. But I'm not really in the mood for mind games right now. Not when innocent people are being involved in danger."

"Hmm...very well then. Just take my warning at heart."

"Where is everyone else by the way?"

"They're still asleep. I'll wake them up in a half hour and we'll depart in an hour to begin our campaign to secure order."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:00] April 9th 21XX

Location: [Arcadia - Tenn's Sanctuary]

After Katsuo made sure they were brought to a safe distance from the criminal underworld, MAGES. and the others went to their haven where their contact: Lady Tenn has set up shop and before they departed, she created a special barrier with her science magic to protect their main base of operations from outside influences. When they make it to the elaborate barrier, MAGES. rises her staff to dispel the barrier and beckons her comrades to follow inside their private sanctuary and restores it once they all made it inside. When they reach the farthest depths of their haven, a lone individual is sitting in lotus style, wearing a suit of armor colored gray with a barbute helmet with a visor entirely blocking her face from outside eyes. There are white circles with black interiors on the two pauldrons and one colored white and gray on the chestplate. Aside from the oversized chestplate and pauldrons, the rest of the armor was clearly designed to house an individual with a very slim build.

"Lady Tenn, we have returned from our assignment. We bear new weapons of advanced design as per your request." MAGES. says with her perpetually calm tone as she and the others present their new armaments to their patron.

"Excellent. Were you followed?"

"No. Cybercon and I surveyed the entire area before MAGES. dispelled and restored the barrier here. We could tell no one was within a four block radius of this place."

"Good-" The individual known simply as 'Lady Tenn' would've continued speaking but was interrupted by Falcom speaking up yet again.

"But we did meet a rather interesting individual on our way there. Our mission seems to coincide."

"Damn it Falcom; I specifically told you all not to associate yourselves with any of the criminals lurking in this city! But what you claim is intriguing. Who is this person whose mission coincides with ours?" Tenn is obviously rather peeved that Falcom and the others made extended contact with individuals associating themselves with the criminal underworld but is intrigued nonetheless hearing that someone else desires peace as well.

"He called himself Katsuo. Guy had a bit of a temper but he seemed extremely committed toward peace here. We didn't get to see much of his appearance but it seemed like he has brown hair and green eyes." Cybercon quickly jumped in to protect Falcom from Tenn's sudden spout of anger in case she went physical. Even though they've barely known each other more than a week and a half, Cybercon and Marvy have established themselves as parental figures to the group.

"_Katsuo? That's one of Karen's friends. So if he's campaigning for order in this nation, those others...what were their names? Ah, right. Mamoru, Kazuto, Haruka, Ophelia, Yuuki, Miyo, and Izumi must be helping in some way. Hmm, if those guys are fighting for peace, perhaps I should inquire into forming an alliance with them. But I will wait on doing so. I need to see if they can handle fighting criminals. Perhaps...when they take down a gang, I'll officially extend an offer of an alliance. Though, for the time being I should be directing Marvy and the others to begin combat operations themselves. We need to prove ourselves so we can bolster our ranks. These five are not enough for large scale battle, but if they can prove themselves in battle, that'll inspire others to join us and give us more combat power._" Tenn mutters this as she stares at her orange and white gauntlets which she mounted on the wall when she selected this place as her hideout, though the weapon itself make her think of days past "_Damn it Tybalt. When you told me that the spell you helped me make would erase me from the annals of history and memory, I had presumed that my existence would be erased along with it since it's rather expected. But you hide the fact that it would simply force us both into the dimensional abyss? Which I had an innate protection from because of ASIC's spell having an adverse effect? Although I still have my life, I can't exactly reunite with those who care for me. Not when they saw me die. Or...not? Gah, I hate this. Damn those anti-crystals keeping my friends from helping me destroy Arfoire, damn ASIC for reviving her, and goddess damn Arfoire for forcing me to commit such dangerous magic and being the source of all these problems to begin with! And that's not forgetting that she and her followers killed Eris, Corrine, Manila, and all of our people over the years! Gah...this train of thought is pissing me off. It's irritating that I can't access my HDD because of the exposure to the anti-crystals mixed with the spell I used. It destroyed my ability to utilize Hard Drive Divinity through any methods I know of. Aside from my time in the dimensional void outright freezing my ability to age, I'm just an ordinary human. But I know that the longer I put off reintroducing myself to Caelus and Karen, the more painful it'll be to me._"

"Er...Lady Tenn? You've been staring out into space for a while now. Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing MarvelousAQL. Look, I need to depart to meet an acquaintance of mine here in the city. I want you five to begin fighting the criminal gangs in the criminal underworld. But stay together and ensure this sanctuary remains hidden to all outside eyes." Tenn states rather solemnly as she gets up from her stance and flexes her arms as best she can since she's still wearing her armor which was not designed with precise mobility in mind.

* * *

After doing this, she calmly walks out of the building and walks around the city to try reaching the giant building that functions as the nation's Basilicom. She ventures through many of the city's streets though many peering eyes are staring in her direction because of her armor though she ignores the stares since she doesn't give a damn what others think of her. Mild misfortune befell her when she walked across a side-street to use as a shortcut to the Basilicom since she happened across a gang of criminals that appeared to be operating in this specific territory. Her quick observation showed that fifteen members were in this gang and were all equipped in falcon themed armor that hid their appearance underneath it.

"You have a lot of guts stepping in Talon territory stranger."

"Get out of my way if you want to live."

"You'll regret saying that to us missy. Get her boys!"

They rapidly draw their swords and charge toward Tenn, with her simply sighing in irritation at their utter stupidity and extends her arm as a staff materializes in her hand. Although the helmet blocks all facial expressions and since the staff holds new form, she is smiling seeing her ancient weapon reappear in her life even though she was far more proficient with her gauntlets. The black and coral colors of the weapon and the wing pattern at the top of the spear are the significant differences of her staff: Trinity. The coral colored gemstone at the heart of the staff was one of the few things that remained the same. All she had to simply wave her staff left to right to execute her first spell to keep the gang members paralyzed in a single location and make them easy pickings for her magic capabilities.

"N-No please! Spare us! We have families to feed!" The gang leader pleaded in pure horror as he sees his comrades paralyzed and ripe to be killed.

"You should have considered that before you jumped me. If you wanted to keep your families fed and safe; you should've took up honest work. But you never have more than one chance at life and you screwed that up big time." Tenn bluntly retorts as she slams the bottom end of her staff toward the ground as the gemstone glowed a crimson red and a magic circle appeared underneath the criminals "Prepare to face justice's wrath. _Oh mighty conflagration of purifying flame; neutralize these interlopers who disrupt the balance of society and erase their existence!_ Distortion Flame!"

After this incantation was chanted, flames began pouring out of the magic circle and it began burning the gang members to death as they shout in utter agony pleading for any kind of mercy that would never arrive. While she knows her methods are rather extreme, she knows that coddling criminals would only encourage more criminals. Even though she hardly wishes it to happen frequently, Tenn knows that a hard line must be established to deter criminals from doing these acts.

"What a damn waste of human lives. But atleast there's one less gang to worry about."

Almost immediately after the spell ended its course and the captive members are no longer even visible in any way, Tenn's stomach began rumbling very heavily and she falls to her knees gripping her stomach. She's just thankful that her armor blocks all sense of smell as the cinders have a very unpleasant smell as blood from the gang members have been mixed in with it.

"Ah damn it. I forgot that using magic makes me extremely hungry to where I'm nearly paralyzed. Screw going to the Basilicom, I need a good meal." Tenn groans as she picks herself up and limps in a random direction away from this unexpected battlefield, though she cleans up the damage and smell her fire magic caused before she departs to make it look pristine like it was before.

* * *

She walks about town with a slow limp because of her fatigue mixed with hunger and happens across a well-guarded section of town after a half hour of walking about. Amidst the heavy security of this section of the city, she quickly encounters what appears to be a very fancy restaurant called Celestia, making her chuckle inaudibly seeing that apparently the inhabitants of Gamindustri still remember the holy land where the True Goddess once lived. She figures it's either this or a rather far-fetched coincidence.

"Wow. This place looks high-tech. I hope that I have enough money to pay for a meal at this place. My stomach won't let me get anywhere else." Tenn groans as she pushes herself to get through the door to the building and is quickly greeted by a waitress with mid-length orange hair and green eyes but the most noticeable quirk in her appearance is her mechanical right arm; though she is wearing a rather generic black and white maid uniform since it's part of her job uniform at the restaurant.

"Welcome home err...Master or Mistress?" Although she still had challenge adjusting to such formal and peppy speech patterns since she's rather solemn, she still is trying her best, though she obviously was confused at Tenn's gender since she was wearing her armor.

"_Hang on...Karen? Why is Arcadia's CPU working here in a...maid cafe?! I don't exactly know how CPUs act in this day and age but their work should be in their Basilicoms, not some...food establishment!_" Tenn asks herself out of extreme surprise seeing Karen working at a restaurant instead of the Basilicom. After thinking this in her mind, she presses a button on her helmet which opened the mouthguard which would allow her to eat while wearing her armor which is to hide her identity "I'm female. I can understand your confusion with this armor on though."

"_**Wait...that voice...it can't be-!**_"

"Ah okay then. But I do need to ask that you take off the armor in this place however. Common courtesy and all that."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I suffered a number of industrial accidents and I'd prefer to hide them."

"Hmm. I question your desire to eat here if what you say is true, but I'm not one to drive away paying customers...You can pay right?"

"Yeah, I can pay. Lead the way Karen Koizumi."

"Will do." Karen responded with a business smile and begins walking to an open table with Tenn but stops immediately at the mention of her name and is staring forward out of mild paralysis "H-How do you know my name?" Karen asks in mild horror at the thought of someone knowing who she is since has been hiding the fact she has been working at the restaurant from her friends.

While her boss at the restaurant: Chian knows her true name and identity, she helped Karen make a fake moniker: Haruhi Kaibara, since Karen wanted to hide the fact she was working there and none of the customers should've known her name. In fact, Chian is one of Miyo's contacts she has met over the years and relayed that Karen had been working with Miyo for a good while now. While Chian owns the restaurant and is her primary job, her employees from her old factory: Passe followed Chian to the new nation and established a new factory with the same name in the same building as the restaurant but in a different wing.

"_Let's just say, I helped you fight against ASIC last year._" Tenn whispers with a grin as she walks past Karen to an open table.

"_You...Impossible! I would've remembered if you helped me!_"

"_**Karen, she's telling the truth. I...I can't believe it, but it's truly her! It's Uzume.**_"

"_Uzume? The girl you were talking about? But didn't you say that she was dead or something?_"

"_**That's...what I thought, but I...I don't know what to make of this.**_"

After this exchange of dialogue between Karen and Caelus, she walks Tenn to an open seat and as soon as she is seated, a floor panel opens and a table with a pure chrome silver color immediately rises which was made by Chian and her workers as they worked as engineers in Lastation but wanted to live a new life elsewhere and she figured that what better place to start a new life than a brand new nation with limitless possibilities.

"So, what can I get you?" Karen inquires as she passes the device used to place orders in the restaurant.

Tenn looks among the list of what's available to order and ultimately goes with some Blanc Manju and Horsebird Sashimi and since the delivery of food is done via technology, that leaves Karen time to do other parts of her job which amounts to either greeting customers when they come or tending to those that are currently in the restaurant like the other employees. And she has decided to 'tend' to Tenn since she wants answers on the things she has heard from her.

"So you claim that you fought alongside me and the others against ASIC; yet I have no memory of you in the slightest. But... now that I think of it, there are a few discrepancies in my memory during the later stages of our involvement in that conflict. I can't truly remember how we defeated ASIC's leader and how I won some battles in Leanbox. All I know was that I knew they were defeated."

"What you say is true. Your memories were slightly modified because of a spell I used to ensure Arfoire's destruction when the tides had turned against us when she employed Anti-Crystals to prevent access to our Hard Drive Divinity in the Gamindustri Graveyard, which was our only means to fight her. As a result of the spell, my presence in everyone's memories was erased, though the way it was made prevented those with deep memories of me from being affected, so it's not surprising you don't remember me. But don't worry, the only memories affected are of my own involvement, everything else is how you remember."

"_Deep memories...so that explains why you can remember her Caelus. I think I overheard you say that you created her or something once while I was busy with other affairs. You mutter a lot when you think I'm not paying attention. I even hear you talk while I'm sleeping sometimes._"

"_**I...I er…S-Shut up.**_"

"_Nice comeback 'Sensei'. You make yourself seem wise beyond your years with your usual temperament, but in all actuality: you're little more than a little girl._"

"_**Now you really are trying to piss me off! I save your damn life and you act like this to your savior?! You would be dead if it weren't for me!**_"

"_If you were more composed, I wouldn't tease you this much. It's the fact that they get to you this much that compels me to do it._"

"_Okay_, I don't know what exactly you're talking about, but I am a paying customer here, so mind shelving it for now?"

"You know I'm talking to Caelus?" Karen quietly inquires since Tenn seems to know that she's talking to her.

"Painfully obvious since I know the circumstances at hand. If you talk with someone and suddenly go quiet, it can only mean you're talking with Caelus."

Immediately after, one of Karen's coworkers: Celina Netzen glomps her while her back was turned attending to Tenn. Surprisingly, all Karen did was nonchalantly sigh even though the girl's figure was near identical to Vert's, suggesting that she has grown a little accustomed to it.

"Dammit Celina. I have told you repeatedly not to glomp me when I'm working. I don't care if you've only been in this world a month, our society does not encourage this kind of behavior." Karen groans as she pushes Celina off and looks toward the young adult curly redheaded, blue eyed kemonomimi wearing a different kind of uniform than what Karen is wearing. While Karen's wearing a classic black and white maid uniform, Celina's uniform is colored red with white and gold trims and wearing striped yellow leg stockings. What truly distinguishes her from most is her cat ears on the top of her chestnut colored hair and her pure red tail sticking out of her lower back.

"Oh come on. This is how we greet people in my world."

"Like I said, this is _not_ your world. So get off me. I did you a favor and asked the boss to hire you even though you barely know left from right in this world. So show appreciation for such a thing by not assaulting her."

After this was said, Celina backed up and looked in Tenn's direction "So who's this?"

"My customer, duh. Now get back to work!"

"Eeek!" Celina squeals as she is told off by Karen and runs off to do her own work.

"Harsh, but atleast now I can get some food. I am _starving_. Using magic murders my appetite faster than anything I know." Tenn said this while doing her best to avoid groaning out of hunger and as soon as her ordered food got to the table, she began digging in while also presenting class since this is a high-class restaurant "You know, the food here is a lot cheaper than I expected. Considering that this is is supposedly a high-class place, I expected outrageous prices here." Tenn continues in-between bites of her food.

"They're rather temporary. The economic situation here is rather unstable since not a lot of money is flowing through the nation right now. But the situation will improve over time, I just know it."

Despite Karen's desire to talk to pass time, Tenn had little interest in further conversation since her stomach was rumbling like a starved animal and after she paid the bill with a large tip, she walked to the door and closed her helmet's mouthguard as she departed. When Karen walked toward Tenn for a standard business farewell, Tenn walked to stand right next to her for a more private conversation.

"_It'll take a while since I'm busy with my work in the city, but I'll find a way to contact you. You handle running the government side and this...job; and I'll do my best to squash crime. Consider this a promise between sisters._"

When Tenn departed the restaurant with a content stomach, Karen went back to work which largely consisted of her talking with her co-workers since there were never many customers to eat there.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] May 15th 21XX

Location: [Keisa - Bae'lin's Residence]

When Karen learned that Miyo gave Linda and Pirachu work at the Basilicom, she was not the most amused about letting her former enemies have high-ranking work among her government but she knew that it was very challenging with just her, Miyo, and Izumi around, especially since all three had to leave a couple times a week for other business. But to her extreme surprise, Linda and Pirachu have proven themselves as extremely dedicated workers and loyal to where they can be trusted on their own, though Miyo and or Izumi are always around as both a precautionary safeguard and because the workload is near impossible for two people alone and very challenging for three people. Since Karen knows that both Miyo and Izumi didn't have to work in town and could focus on paperwork this current day; she left the Basilicom to visit Bae'lin for the first time since she helped Karen, Izumi, and Leonard form Arcadia back in December. She decided to take her specially made hoverbike along the normally invisible isthmus to the small island where Keisa's family lives. When she makes it on the island. since Bae'lin took blood from nearly everyone from Karen's group with the understanding that any of them could deny the offer though only Karen's inner circle who helped fight ASIC went through with it so they could visit this closed off sanctuary with the condition that they not alter their home in any way, Karen parked her bike in a small alcove near their residence.

When Karen entered the rustic cabin house, she finds that Bae'lin had finished brewing a brand of tea called Emulloine and brings it to the main dining table in the den

"I have to say Karen, it is good to see you. I haven't seen any of you come this way since we first met months ago."

"Indeed. I wish I could've come sooner, but I've been busy with running Arcadia with Miyo, Izumi, Linda, and Pirachu helping as best they can even though we all have so little experience handling governmental affairs. The only thing we're really capable of is paperwork which means we can't exactly handle anything like tax or anything to truly help my nation. As much as I want to do something since I'm this nation's goddess, I'm good for nothing."

"Don't worry about that Karen. This nation has only existed for five months now and you have a lot of people supporting you to the best of their ability. If it's any condolence, I very much know how difficult running civilization is. Back in our world, my little brother and I both worked as tribe leaders and every one of our decisions laid heavily on us. We built those tribes up from nothing and had to support them with our very being."

"Hmm, I see; wait...you said little brother right now and yet before, both you and Spark addressed yourself as the younger sibling. I'm confused."*

"It's a bit of a peculiarity with our own civilization. Allow me to explain. In our world: Xialara, custom dictates that twins are not classified as either older or younger. Spark and I are twins, even though he's technically older by a few seconds, and while the age difference does not matter whatsoever in our world, Spark is still my elder brother though I tend to look both ways out of habit. He was the same way in fact. Trying to phase out generations of tradition is not exactly easy."

"Oh I see. Looks like every race has their own special quirks." Karen says with a thoughtful nod as she looks at the ebony black color of the Emulloine tea and drinks some of it before shuddering at the taste which can't even be defined as very sour as that is giving it false praise "Urk...I hate to offend Miss Bae'lin but um…I don't think this is something my people can tolerate."

"Oh right. I haven't casted my family spell on this. Please wait a moment."

After Bae'lin realized she forgot to use the spell to alter the taste of the tea for her guest, her right hand glows silver symbolizing her style of magic and stretches her arm over the tea as it briefly glows a sparkly silver color before regaining the natural black color

"There you go. Now it should be fine to drink."

When Bae'lin said that the tea was safe, Karen cautiously took a sip because of what happened mere moments ago and was surprised with the now delicious taste of what made her tongue feel like it was close to death.

"Mmm...it tastes like a finely brewed Darjeeling tea now." Karen mutters in bliss as she gently presses her left hand against her cheek as her mind begins flashing back to Earth since this was one of her favorite beverages but quickly regains a degree of reality in her expression "I have to ask, is there a way we could possibly mass-produce this kind of magic? It would be very useful for species that can't eat anything this world makes; like Garrus for instance."

"I don't really know what to tell you Karen. Thraaklon commissioned this spell's creation a very long time ago and it's been kept within my family for a long time. But what I can tell you is that many of the spells we use depend on a degree of blood." Bae'lin stopped momentarily since she noticed Karen freaking out a great deal when it was mentioned that many of their spells are blood oriented "Let me explain; I was just as terrified as you when I learned of this, but we don't actively take blood from people. We do take small blood samples but we actively use magic to exponentially increase what we have access to without taking it from their original recipients."

"Then...how did you use my blood to alter the taste when you don't have it here?"

"Magical archive retrieval. We have access to a miniature pocket dimension we house our blood samples in. My husband taught me how to use magic to resonate with this pocket dimension and we use it to use such useful magic like food alteration."

"Oh, I see now. That's very useful to have."

"Indeed. As to your question about 'mass-producing' the food alteration spell, it'd be a very difficult challenge to alter its evocation, and we're busy enough trying to alter the barrier that was cast all over Keisa by our ancestors; though why they hid the entire continent when we've lived on this small island only, I will never understand their thinking."

"Well what about water? From what I know, blood is primarily water."

"Erm...that probably won't work Karen. Water is a little too universal and doesn't take the distinctiveness of other species well. Besides, I studied blood samples belonging to my husband, myself, you, Miyo, Izumi, Garrus, Wrex, and Filia; they all have rather unique strands of genetic data in their blood which we use to use this spell. But I truly want to believe that there is a common link that ties every individual race since we all seem to be humanoid in nature. It's why I want to study as many differing blood samples as I can and see if there any similarities between them and use that as a focus."

"Wait, I just remembered that Miyo was able to make this arm record magic and apply it continuously. The spell embedded within this robotic arm is a barrier since I had been bleeding a great deal at the time and it helped save my life. While I don't know if my body has covered the wound naturally, I don't want to test it considering what I saw happen that day. Erm, I'm getting off-topic, but perhaps we could try combining your family's magic with her technology and come up with an answer. If we can't exactly work with the preparation half, maybe we can work with the immediate effect?"

"That...might be possible. I'll look into it when I have the time, but I can't guarantee it'll succeed. Creating magic is very difficult to perform since there are so many angles to consider and modifying magic spells is even more troublesome since the smallest of mistakes could distort the intended effect. If it's possible though, we'll find a way."

"I pray you all do find a way considering all the species that could end up trapped here. I do wish I could stay longer Bae'lin, but this was going to be a very short visit; I need to return to the Basilicom and get back to work."

"Actually wait Karen, I have something I have to give you. It's an ancient relic I found just last night." Bae'lin says in a mild panic as she quickly rises from the table she was sitting at and went to a side-room.

She returns a minute later with a massive book twice the size of her head and gently puts on the table, but even that gentle press to the table sent up a small tornado of dust which makes both women cough and cover their faces until the dust settles

"What in the world is this Bae'lin?" Karen asks once the dust settles and the air is restored to a breathable state.

"This is an ancient tome given to our family's progenitor by an ancient CPU before the nation was destroyed by a very bloody coup d'etat according to the story written in this book after the fact."

"**Hold the phone. I do not recognize the name of this CPU in any way. But this nation: Tari. Where have I…? Wait, I remember now! Tari was destroyed over two thousand years before I was born! I had heard very vague fairy tales of Tari from my childhood, but I thought I was the second Console Patron Unit to ever exist. Looks like I was wrong.**"

"Over two millennia!? Wow...looks like Gamindustri's history is very storied. But I thought it was said that Thraaklon was the first dimensional traveler. Yet this mysterious shaman came over two thousand years before you? Or did Thraaklon come before the shaman and is from an ageless species? Ugh, my head hurts."

"**Who knows. Gamindustri underwent a dark age after the destruction of Tari which lasted several centuries and it was presumed that nearly all records were destroyed alongside Tari. What little remained were fractured oral legends. It is entirely possible that Thraaklon could have arrived back when Tari had existed, and if that is the case; he had been alive far longer than I had anticipated.**"

"No kidding. If you're right, Thraaklon had been alive well over...who knows how long, trapped in Gamindustri. It must have been hell for him. Anyway, what exactly is in here Bae'lin?"

"I haven't had much of an opportunity to read this tome since I only recently found this thing, but it was written by what could very well be the first CPU ever born. I can only imagine what is written in this very book." Bae'lin says as she couldn't help but stare at the ancient tome written by a scholar from a very ancient age.

"Indeed, it's food for thought. But I truly must be going Bae'lin. A goddess' work is never done after all. Working day and night every day is tough enough as it is, even if I never get tired or hungry because of how I tend to stay in this goddess form all the time."

"Day and night? Goodness. I knew you were busy but you're neglecting your own basic needs for the job? Looks like this is as good a time as any."

"Good time? Good time for what?"

"I know first hand how challenging it is running a nation. Because of how she tended to slack off playing games, I was pretty much the sole ruler of Leanbox for a number of years and it was painful to deal with. According to what I heard, my successor is no better at getting the CPU to work which worries a little."

"Wait, you were Chika's predecessor as Leanbox's Oracle? I heard an unsavory rumor about something Chika's predecessor did." Karen inquires before realizing something a little more important about the subject "Erm, I'd actually appreciate having this answered first: What about your daughter?"

"No need to worry. She's officially beginning her shaman training today and will be preoccupied for the next couple of years. And it's not as if I'm leaving for Planeptune or something. If she wants to see me, I can just teleport to the shrine and spend an afternoon with her. However, loneliness shouldn't plague her much since my husband and my family will be with her to oversee her training. Her training frees up much of my time which I can commit to helping you. With that out of the way, I wish to ask: What did you mean by unsavory before?"

"I heard that the previous Oracle arranged for a very special training field to be built within the Basilicom and the creator died the very day it was completed."

"Oh that? Ahahaha. That's a misconception Vert, my husband, and I made up when we completed its construction. Vert feared that others would attempt to recreate the technology so the three of us came up with the story that only one individual had the know-how to make it and died of natural causes. My husband made the training field and we left for Keisa shortly after it was completed."

"Wow. That's...very cunning. Looks like Vert kept a varied circle of 'extradimensionals' in her court. Actually, did you know a person called Driin?"

"Driin? I do actually. He was the de-facto leader of the Leanbox SMD but he left almost immediately after forming the organization. I can remember his exact words 'I have no interest in staying with a militant force.' Ironic that he formed what could be called Gamindustri's strongest, yet most reclusive, military force and he wanted nothing to do with it. In fact, while Vert tended to hide the fact since people hardly knew of us 'extradimensionals' as you call it, she was actually the most accepting of us foreigners since Lowee's policies were a tad rigid even to her own citizens, Lastation has a strong independent streak with Black Heart's leadership, and Planeptune has a strange aversion for most of us. Maybe it's Neptune's attitude? I really don't know."

"Wow, so Filia's father formed the organization she worked with for a time. If I hadn't known her as long as I have, I would say familia favoritism would be a major factor, but she proved herself to deserve her position, albeit her mild ruthlessness. But we're getting too sidetracked. We need to return to the Basilicom."

"Go on ahead of me Karen. I need to leave my husband a note telling him I'll be working as your Oracle."

"Sure. See you at the Basilicom."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [8:30] April 17th 22XX

Location: [Arcadia Basilicom]

Over the next year, Arcadia's population underwent a large explosion through native immigration from lands beyond the five nations and foreign visitors from other worlds because of Gamindustri's ability of 'abducting' people from other worlds; the former being because of how Bae'lin's family succeeded in altering the barrier over the continent which allowed anyone to move to the nation without Garrus and Wrex having to bring them in. Their freedom from their job as evangelists allowed them to join Filia and her SMD members in scouting the frontier beyond the mountain at the capital's border, marking locations to establish future villages and the locations of dungeons that have begun springing up in the region. Before, Filia's expeditionary team was told just to search for locations to establish villages, but with the formation of Arcadia's guild with Bae'lin's help as Karen's temporary oracle; they have begun surveying the dungeons and gathering materials to send back to the Basilicom per their contract with Arcadia's new Guild in exchange for monetary rewards.

However, despite the fact that Arcadia has only existed for less than two years, it remarkably holds forty percent of the world's shares with the emergence of the diverse games on the personal computers which is commonplace in the nation in addition to the advanced technology which is slowly being produced by engineers who work in the city; Aqua Heart's recent actions within the city have been seen, with people knowing that she has reached her breaking point and is truly ticked off by what has been plaguing her people and is resolved to stop it no matter what, is living in a golden renaissance on the surface because that is the image Karen has constructed by visiting the most secure zones which are under heavy guard, the harsh fact is that crime has only escalated and even with the efforts from the teams belonging to Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, and Tennouboshi, the number of gangs have exponentially increased and territory wars breaking out in all but a few areas of Arcadia has become commonplace and it has become bad enough that even Karen has left the Basilicom to take up combat against the gangs with her trusted sword: Benten and Miyo providing state of the art armor which was enchanted by Izumi and Bae'lin, which creates a thin transparent shield when she would engage in battle which would help protect her from hostile attacks to a degree. However, since Karen has left the Basilicom to fight, that has left Izumi, Linda, and Pirachu to struggle handling the increased paperwork since Bae'lin had to leave to help modify the magic involving food modification with Miyo helping prepare the technology that would accommodate said magic.

With Miyo, Bae'lin, and Karen out of the Basilicom, Izumi and Linda are the only ones doing any significant work in the building, with Pirachu bringing in the paperwork; with this having been going on for quite a while and while Linda has been working most of the day handling both her initially assigned portions and the extras after Karen left, she has still been taking effort to ensure she has plenty of sleep so she doesn't crash and burn though she has begun seeing signs of it happening to Izumi but presumes it's just her mind playing tricks on her until it crossed a rather thin line during one of their work shifts.

"Erm...hiya Linda." Izumi weakly pulls up her head from her worktable as she hears Linda enter the room.

"Are you okay Izumi? You look really pale. And this is coming from someone who has ash gray skin."

"I'm...fine. Let's just...focus on our work." Izumi says with a tone rather full of irritation though it lacks her usual energy. And what further signifies that is that when she got up to get her next batch of paperwork, she slumped down to her knees with a small blush on her face and faint breathing.

"Woah! Izumi!" Linda exclaims as she rushes to Izumi's side and puts her hand on Izumi's forehead "Goddess. She's burning up!" Linda continues as she lifts the sick girl in a fireman's carry and rapidly looks toward Pirachu, who had followed her inside to begin his own work for the day "Hold down the fort Pirachu; I need to get her to the clinic."

"I would hurry-chump. She looks like she'll keel over any second-chump."

"I know that!" Linda snarls as she rushes out of the room with Izumi's limp body and heads toward the converted underground garage which houses the vehicles which Chian gave Karen during her work at the restaurant.

* * *

Her mad dash through the Basilicom to reach the garage involved going through three teleport gates. The entire trek was choked full of Izumi's remarkably course breathing as Linda could only stare in horror as she ran since the girl is in rather bad shape. Unfortunately, events got quite worse when Linda finally made it to the garage as she finds that Karen's bike is the only one there and is unusable in a rather unique way

"Damn it, this bike is DNA-locked! And this is the only one here since I tend to stay here all the time, Miyo's gone, and Izumi's bike is at Passe being repaired. There has to be a way to get this scrap pile moving!" Linda snarls very irritably as she slams her left fist into the bike, with a mechanized voice immediately following her assault on the vehicle in her anger

"**Forced system reboot recognized. Erasing all onboard data. Automated shield systems disabled.**"

"Wonderful. While I can get us there now since the security system is offline, but if we get attacked by any of those gangs out there, we won't have any shields to protect us."

"I can...handle it. Let me...project the shields."

"Not a chance Izumi. You're far too weak to use magic right now with your sickness. Just leave this to me."

After this was said, Linda placed Izumi in the bike's sidecar and revved up the bike as she proceeded to bring her to the clinic for treatment while also attempting to avoid gang territory but is quickly stopped by a wall of fire rising out of the ground

"Ah shit!" Linda shouts as she tries to brake by tilting the bike to the side and is quickly thrown out of it along with Izumi and the bike is immediately incinerated since the shielding system was disabled "Damn, Karen is going to kill me for destroying her ride." Linda despondently says to no one in particular as she glances around the area to see what caused the wall of fire to appear in the first place and is rewarded with forty armed gang members, whom appear to be working within an alliance considering the different emblems on their armors, walking out of nearby alleys and began to surround Linda and the ill Izumi "_Oh no...not now! Not when I need to get Izumi to the clinic! She's depending on me!_" Linda snarls as she glances in the direction of the unconscious Izumi after she was thrown from the bike and gravely frowns as she feels utterly helpless at the current moment.

Fortunately, salvation swiftly came in the form of a single individual wearing bright silver falcon themed armor with a familiar set of mechanical angelic wings which vanish as soon as the person landed and simply stares at the gang members as the individual draws a crimson red sword out of its sheath and grips it with both hands.

"_Woah...thank the goddess. I thought I was done for, but now I'm safe. But that truly depends on her reaction of me destroying her ride._"

"T-That's the Silver Demon!" The gang leader couldn't help but mildly freak out upon the individual arriving on the scene and taking up arms against them, though he quickly regains his composure and rallies his gang to fight.

The individual tilts her head looks toward Linda while keeping her sword toward the enemies in the area

"I don't know why you left the office, but you need to get out of here. _Now_. She needs your help."

"But what about you?"

"Don't worry about me. Just go. This is my responsibility since I have been neglecting to do anything until recently."

"R-Right!" Linda quickly nodded in confirmation as she rushed toward Izumi to lift her on her shoulder and rushed in the direction closest to the clinic before momentarily stopping to see Karen engage in battle to help her and Izumi "I'll pay you back for the bike; I swear."

"_Go!_" Karen snarls very angrily as she lunges into battle to defeat this gang.

Linda lightly shivers at Karen's shown anger and dashes away from this battlefield, reluctantly leaving Karen on her own against the gang members to buy her time to get Izumi to the clinic for treatment.

* * *

After seeing Linda exit the area safely, Karen turned her gaze back to the gang members she is up against

"You guys have been pissing me off for a week now. Constantly changing your hideouts and throwing mooks at me to buy time. But that ends now. I'm going to ensure your destruction. I initially just planned on imprisoning you and make you go through rehabilitation, but you've gone and pissed me off; so that is no longer an option."

"We're not afraid of you! We outnumber you forty to one."

"Perhaps so. But I'm not alone here!"

Immediately after Karen said this, a girl with sea foam colored eyes and short spiked pale blonde hair, with a long ponytail addition and orange highlights on the lower end of her hair around her cheeks, calmly dashes out of one of the alleys the gang members had used, wielding a single sword in a reverse grip and swiftly slashes against the backs of three of the gang members and raises her head as she struck like a trained ninja

"As my noble mistress requested, I have brought myself from the darkest of shadows to strike against her most wicked of enemies who disrupt her ideals of peace. Let even the dark pits of oblivion deny solace for their pitiful souls."

"Thanks for the help Ein Al." Karen gratefully says as she slashes her sword upward to send the nearest gang members into the air, crashing into nearby building walls as they fall to the ground in pain.

While she is remarkably calm since she needs to maintain awareness in the battle, she can't help but feel a little flustered at Ein's wardrobe since her clothes are rather revealing; her dull red bikini with silver lining does very little to hide her bust and there is a dusty rose rabbit emblem keeping her bikini top tied to the gorget around her neck, though a small cyan diamond blocks most of the rabbit from sight. This style of wardrobe is something Karen has come to expect of Vert but even she kept a degree of modesty compared to this newcomer which says a lot in her eyes.

Soon after, a girl with navy blue eyes and long light brown hair kept in braided pigtails held by white orb ornaments with royal blue and gold accenting, wearing an asian style dress colored bright red dashed into the clearing and swiftly launched three roundhouse kicks which send their targets flying even faster than Karen's sword slash with Benten.

"Man, these guys are weaker than I thought. I thought these villainous gangs would be presenting more of a challenge to us, but if they're threatening our Lady, I will not give them any mercy." The girl mockingly declares as she rushes toward Karen in a back-to-back manner "_Lady Aqua Heart, I need to give you a report._"

"_What happened Lee-Fi? When will we be expecting Resta, Estelle, Blossom, and Moru to arrive to help us rout the enemy here?_"

"_Unfortunately, the enemy somehow caught on to our expected rendezvous and they intercepted them in Sector 15. They're fine for now. We sent CC2 and Marvy to help fortify their position, but MAGES. told us that they'll need us if they're to survive. The enemy force has a lot of firepower. In fact, Ein-Al and I came to get you since we were with them for a short time. They're begging for your aid._"

"_Shit! These gangs are getting far too powerful. I should've squashed them when they were weak!_" Karen quietly snarls as she sees that the enemy here has regained composure from the sneak attack "_We need to fall back and get to the others. If Tennouboshi is found, we'll be in trouble; she's the one helping most of our efforts here._"

"_That's why we're here Lady Aqua Heart. We need your aid._"

"Alright you two, fall back!" Karen shouts as she summons her wings and flies in the direction of Sector 15, which are temporary name designations since combat ops are becoming increasingly common throughout the city, where Uzume has been staying and leading her team initially consisting of: MAGES., MarvelousAQL, Broccoli, Falcom, CyberConnect2, and Tekken; with Blossom Aisen, Ein Al, Estelle, Lee-Fi, Moru, and Resta joining later on as Uzume's team won victories against the gangs and proved their strength. After Karen fled through her flight, she can see Ein Al and Lee-Fi running through the alleys toward Sector 15 where the others are pinned down in.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:30] April 17th 22XX

Location: [Arcadia Undercity - Uzume's Sanctuary]

After a year of existing and operating to take down the gangs, Uzume's sanctuary has been discovered by the second largest gang coalition in Arcadia through the use of stolen versions of Kei's prototype magic negator and an all-out attack has been executed and everyone in Uzume's team, save Ein Al and Lee-Fi, has been pushed back within the building complex guarding the sole entrance against the immense number of gang members and the mecha they have brought to fight and Falcom fled within the complex at Cybercon's request to request help from their patron.

"Lady Tenn, we really need your help here! These gang members have us pinned to the wall!" Falcom exclaims as she dashed into Uzume's room, begging for help from their patron.

"I know." Uzume snarls as she is pouring magic into what appears to be four golems made of pure shiny mithril even though she's shaking a great deal out of exhaustion and sharply gripped her stomach as she falls to her knees and her helmet falls off in the process "Damn it...I need to...keep going." Uzume weakly mutters as she pick herself up and continues pouring magic into the golems and she doesn't even see that her helmet fell to the ground.

"Lady Tenn! You need to stop! There's no way you can handle using this much magic!" Falcom pleads as she sees Uzume use enough magic that would kill any normal magic user.

"Not...happening. I will fight...to the very end! Grrraaaah!" Uzume sternly retorts as she gathers all of her willpower and pours enough magic to activate the golems she brought into existence, with her heavily panting out of exhaustion but somehow manages to force herself up to give her first command to her golems "Golems! Obey the will of your master and defend this place! Defend the inhabitants who carry the residue of the Console Patron Units and drive out those who do not!" Uzume states this command to the golems, with her voice being very weak since she has expended all of the magic she had been gathering through her daily meditations over the course of eight months, and even that was insufficient since she had to tap into her own energy which would have severely wounded any regular magic user. However, because of how she was created by Caelus via a CPU memory, she wouldn't have to worry about potentially having her life end by overextending herself by using too much magic in such short bursts, but it leaves her wide open to attacks as she wouldn't have the strength to move a single muscle without greatly pushing herself.

The golems simply walk away with loud footsteps after hearing her command, each wielding a different weapon: claymore, sword and shield, spear and shield, and a katana as they proceed to the entrance to defeat the invading enemies. Uzume is just relieved that the exposure her team has accumulated by being around her passive magic will allow them to be spared from the golems' wrath. It was something she had been carefully planning ever since she began formulating the golems' creation since she doesn't want her allies being attacked by her armored automata, and magically made them not attack anyone that carries the aura held by either her or Lady Aqua Heart since CPUs passively emit a special energy which can be identified by people who have maintained close affiliation with CPUs.

"Woah...what are those things Lady Tenn?" Falcom inquires in shock as she sees the armored juggernauts walk past her.

"Golems. They are the perfect fighting machines: They are nigh indestructible, they don't age, and they don't need food, water, or sleep. The only con is that they are unable to go beyond a certain distance since they depend on my magic, but even that is a pro: They can guard this place day and night."

"Wow, incredible. Are you going to be okay though Lady Tenn?"

"I'll be...fine. I just need food and sleep. Don't worry about me Falcom; focus on keeping those bastards out of this place. If even one enemy gets to me, I'm as good as dead. I can't defend myself in my condition."

"Understood. Lee-Fi, Ein Al, and Aqua Heart are on their way here to reinforce us. If we can keep them at bay until they arrive, victory will surely be ours." Despite what she had said, Falcom appeared very unwilling to leave Uzume's side because of her extreme fatigue because of all the magic she had used animating those four golems.

"Go Falcom...the others need you." Uzume groans rather weakly as she limps toward her bed very slowly and takes off her armor piece by piece along the way as the various pieces litter her floor, revealing her wardrobe underneath it, with this being the first time anyone among Uzume's team has seen her not wearing her armor: a white jacket with a bright orange, black, and white tie and gray pleated shorts.

Falcom reluctantly nods and rushes toward the front entrance to aid the others but finds that the battle has already turned in favor of the defenders as the golems have already arrived on the battlefield and are wreaking havoc on the robotic mechs brought in by the gang members. And with the reinforcements that arrived in form of the golems, Resta was quickly able to utilize her healing magic without fear of getting attacked and Moru took advantage of the situation by propping her huge hammer over her shoulder as she charges through the ranks and slams it against the ground which sends a great number of enemies back through a powerful shockwave

"Now you're in trouble! Get ready to pay for everything you've done to us!"

With Moru now seen returning to the front, Blossom calmly walks with a very dignified disposition out of where she has been staying with her rapier in front of her chest and stares her enemies down with no hint of fear whatsoever "We have now regained control of this stage and I am eager to ensure that we keep it no matter what happens to us. That is my solemn pledge as an actor. Once our last three participants arrive, our enemies will have no choice but to bow out." Blossom calmly says as she swiftly slashes her rapier with unparalleled accuracy against her enemies. However, she was caught off-guard when an enemy slipped through her blind spot and would've struck a major blow if it weren't for Estelle deflecting the blow with her Dogoo shield and slashing with her sword

"Careful comrade. If it weren't for my legendary defensive skills, you would be in a bad situation right now."

"Quite. You have my gratitude Estelle."

* * *

Things quickly proceeded to go well for Uzume's team until four stone gray mechas jump down from the building tops and surround the whole group and one of the pilots grins as he faces down Moru and the others. Each one of the mechs towered over everyone at roughly 5'6, equipped with dual cannons which possess runes in the interiors resembling the enchantment done on the weapons sold by the black market in the undercity which means that its ammunition is automatically designed to be extremely lethal against human targets.

"This is the perfect time to field test the brand new X-34 Shredder mech. The anti-personnel enchantments we used to have on our weapons are now programmable for the weapons on this puppy and they're even stronger with this mech."

"Oh crap! The anti-organic enchantment is now electronic and on a stronger level?!" Falcom exclaims in pure, unbridled terror seeing armored mecha suits carrying weapons more deadly to unprotected civilians than ever before.

Fortunately, before the mecha had begun charging their weapons, a number of individuals appear in the area and unleash a barrage of attacks which collapses all but one of them. When the chaos calms down, the group reveal themselves to be Filia, Garrus, Wrex, and Karen.

"No way am I letting such dangerous weapons exist in this nation unless they are used by my goddess: Aqua Heart." Filia gravely states as she grips her sword with both of her hands as she strikes against the enemies in her way, showing that the blade is magically enchanted with pure fire which melted the legs and arms of the mech she attacked.

"Agreed. We return for a casual vacation for the first time in four months and we have to fight mechs that resemble tiny YMIRs? Glad I could come for the show." Garrus remarks with a laidback grin as he pulls out his Phaeston assault rifle and begins to open fire on the mechs brought to the fight.

Like his usual self, Wrex did not take a rather safe approach in taking down his target since while Filia and Garrus attacked the legs with their own specialized weaponry, Wrex attacked from the top of the mech through an air drop and made the mech collapse through brute impact, and Karen did something similar but only destroyed the glass cover on the top of the mech, threw out the pilot, and took control of the mech for her own personal use.

"Oooh yeah. This is awesome." Karen grins very amusedly as she crouched forward and gripped the dual control joysticks to operate the X-34 in battle.

"R-Retreat!"

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [13:00] April 17th 22XX

Location: [Arcadia Undercity - Uzume's Sanctuary]

Despite the call for all of the attackers to retreat, the chaos of the battlefield heavily deterred an organized retreat as over half of the force and all of their combat mecha fell in battle with minimal injuries to the defenders because of their strong cohesion and skill in battle. With the battle concluded, Karen jumped out of her mech which was walked over to where the golem wielding the claymore, with the blade pointing down, had decided to stay and the group had convened in front of the building.

"Thank you Lady Aqua Heart. I don't think we would've survived if you hadn't arrived when you did. But where is Lee-Fi and Ein Al? And who are these three?"

"Lee-Fi and Ein Al will come soon, they can't exactly get here as fast I can since I can fly. And to answer your question Falcom; everyone, meet Filia, Garrus, and Wrex. They helped me destroy ASIC two years ago and I consider them as close allies. They have been away for a long time now, but they have answered my summons and have returned to help me defeat these gangs. You see, I am no longer going to look the other way and let these criminals terrorize my city. Filia, Garrus, Wrex, are you with me?"

"Naturally. I wouldn't have left the SMD if I didn't place my trust in you. Besides, Miyo trusts you and you have impressed me as well."

"You can depend on me and Wrex helping you Aqua Heart; partly because of the fact that you hold our best chance of returning home. But the main reason why I'm so compelled to do this is because we turians are very regimented and are against chaos like this. Even a poor excuse of a turian like me wants to keep things orderly. And then there is the fact that the two of us consider you and the others as close friends." Over the course of all the years the pair spent in Gamindustri, Garrus has certainly become far more controlling when it comes to saying what he and Wrex would do; and Wrex simply lets it happen since he enjoys seeing the image of the rigid Turian ideology twisted into something similar to the ones belonging to the Krogan.

"Thanks guys, I knew I could count on you." Karen sincerely smiled when she heard that the trio would help her fight to defend her nation and she then looks toward Falcom and the others "Now that we have a common interest; we should combine our forces and strike against the gang's leader and scatter them to where they can be easily dispersed in future assaults with a proper police force. I presume that Lid has been sent to ascertain their hideouts?"

"Erm...Lady Aqua Heart, we don't have the strength to fight right now. We need time to recuperate from this grueling skirmish. Could we postpone the assault to tomorrow? In fact, we actually need to get Lady Tenn some food. She exerted a lot of strength energizing these golems to help protect us. And your assumption is correct. In fact, Lid was lucky to escape the battle; she was sent ten minutes before we got ambushed here. She should return by tonight with the location of their hideouts."

"Perfect. Very well then, we'll commence the assault tomorrow. I'll contact a friend of mine and ask her to bring food out here for Tenn. Garrus, Wrex, Filia, I want you three to get acquainted with Tenn's team since we'll be working with them to neutralize the gangs for good. They started out as fractured groups, but their nervousness has driven them to form two huge alliances, and that will be their undoing. Instead of random safehouses, only two places hold their chain of command."

"Perfect. We can work in tandem with Viperia's group and take them all down in one fell swoop. While we can't compare in terms of numbers since they have roughly eighty people in their ranks; we all have extensive combat experience which is our advantage. It reminds me of my people's stance on military. We used to focus on overwhelming numbers until the enemy would submit; but after the Genophage, we slowly converted from overwhelming numbers to maximal individual effectiveness. Each Krogan Battlemaster is a match for atleast ten soldiers of any other species. Even the Turians or Humans."

"I should go. Hold down the fort everyone." Karen says with a firm expression as she flies off in the direction of the restaurant she works at to ask Chian for food to be brought to Uzume since she's in rather bad shape.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] April 17th 22XX

Location: [Arcadia - Central Clinic]

After Linda dashed off from the sudden battlefield with Izumi propped over her shoulder, she rushed to the clinic where Izumi works to get her heavy fever treated, though even she knew that her condition has likely only worsened because of everything that has transpired to get to this location. When she finally got there, she herself was heavily panting because of the great distance she has ran in addition to carrying Izumi

"I...I need a doctor, fast!"

It didn't take long for one of the nurses to rush to Izumi's side since she is one of the lead healers among the staff and well-liked among them "Is she okay?!"

"She passed out in the office doing some work. She has a huge fever."

After hearing this, she puts her hand on Izumi's forehead to check her temperature and is immediately forced to lift her hand "Youch! It feels like she's been kept in an oven for a day atleast!"

"Can you do anything for her?"

"We'll bring her to one of our beds and start treating her. Thankfully business has become quieter since Arcadia Central Hospital handles all of the serious situations now, so the worst we have to deal with are an occasional cut or gun wound. We'll make sure she gets better; she's our best healer and employee here after all. Aside from the occasional flirting she does, got no idea why she does it, she is easily one of the most well-loved healers here. We'll make sure she is brought back to top shape." The nurse had said this after taking Izumi from Linda's grasp and rushed to one of the rooms with Linda following out of concern for the girl's wellbeing "If you don't mind my asking, how did she get in this condition?" The nurse inquired as she placed Izumi on a bed in the room closest to the main lobby.

"Based on what I think, she has been overexerting herself for the last couple of days with little sleep."

"If this is true, we'll have to keep her here until she recovers. We'll keep an eye on her, so you can go back to your job."

"Erm, I don't think I can right now. I won't be able to focus on work while knowing Izumi's sick like this. I want to stay here until I'm sure she's better."

"I certainly won't turn well-wishers away right now. Considering what you've gone through for Izumi, you must be a close friend of hers?"

"Well...I like to assume so. Our recent history has been a little rough though I'm trying to repent. I want to live a honest life, one where I don't have to commit crime to get by."

"Hmm. I can feel the emotions behind your words and considering that I have worked with psychology before, I can tell it's very difficult to fake this type of emotion and the actions you have done is irrefutable. Only the noble would go to such great lengths to help those who are ill like this."

"Ehehe...please, I am far from noble. My heart is still black as night, even though I'm trying to change. I won't feel like I'm noble until I feel compelled to die for someone else's sake. And that likely won't happen for years now. Nonetheless, I need to try proving myself to the goddess here and show my conviction to repent."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:30] April 17th 22XX

Location: [Arcadia Undercity - Hideout]

Katsuo, Kazuto, and Mamoru have been extremely busy over the last year as they continuously went into combat against the growing number of gangs. In a recent operation the day before, Mamoru's team suffered extensive injuries and he was forced to discharge his entire squad because of injury. In response to him not having the ability to go out into battle with his team backing him up, Mamoru had been staying at the hideout, while Katsuo and Kazuto having continued fighting against the alliance, helping the others with developing and maintaining the hideout and its armaments. After seeing Katsuo walk into the main lobby fully armored and wielding his large heater shield and gladius which was embedded with magical runes to strengthen its durability to near indomitable levels, and seeing that he was going to be going out into the field with his squad, he got up from his seat using his whetstone as it's become something of a habit for him.

"Heading out Katsuo?" Mamoru casually asks as he looks up to the armored fighter heading out.

"What do you think?"

"Is the temper necessary Katsuo? I just asked a question. Honestly, all of these battles have been turning you into a monster."

"I'm trying to protect this nation damn it. There are so many gangs out there committing crime and we're the only ones trying to maintain peace. Look, I can't stay. I need to meet the others; we'll be striking against a gang meeting to join one of the alliances that Akio informed me of. We're going to cut it short." Katsuo states rather irritably as he storms off to do what he feels like he has to do.

Mamoru couldn't help but simply huff in mild irritation at the fact Katsuo left with so few words considering all of the experiences they have gone through together and happens to notice Kazuto walk into the room wearing a similar get-up like Katsuo

"Perfect timing Kazuto. I'd like to ask you to shadow Katsuo. He went out following one of Akio's intel reports and I feel like Katsuo is going to be in danger."

"Hmm, I sort of share your disdain of Akio even though I don't understand why yet. And considering that these gang members all seem to be affiliating with those two alliances, it will be a risk for us to fight against unified foes. I'll go hurry after Katsuo."

After Kazuto dashed after Katsuo to keep an eye on him, Mamoru went back to his chair but quickly noticed Yuuki walking into the room, looking very faint as she walked toward the kitchen area of the room and collapses near the counter.

"Yuuki!" Mamoru exclaims as he dashes toward Yuuki to help her up.

"M-Mamoru? That you?"

"Yeah. Is your condition flaring up?"

"Mhm. I'm almost out of my medicine and I can't get any more right now because of the chaos. We're too far from Planeptune and they can't get any here in a punctual manner. And without the fast-travel network, we can't head out there."

"That certainly is problematic, ain't it? But we actually got a few Planeptune immigrants who began working as doctors at Arcadia Central Hospital last week. You think they know how to produce your medicine locally?"

"Huh. I didn't know we got any immigrants from the mainland. I thought they all came from terra incognito."

"That's usually the case; but lately there has been a few people from Planeptune and Lastation coming bringing their medical and technological expertise. To be honest, there's a wild rumor that someone important is coming to this nation. But c'mon, let's get you to the hospital. I won't let you drop dead on us here; not when the others will want to see you back on Earth. For real."

"Right. I need to live and one day reunite with your friends and mine. But I need to ask you Mamoru; have you and Miyo kept my secret about all this?"

"Yeah. Miyo admitted she has so little knowledge about the subject and wouldn't spread it around out of ignorance. And I know very much how personal the situation is so I won't tell a soul. Not unless you want me to."

"Thanks Mamoru. I usually don't like people figuring this out about me since I don't want them worrying for me all the time. I want us all to enjoy our lives to the fullest."

"Well, I appreciate that you trust the two of us with this information. I know you mentioned it since you heard of the connections I have, which means absolute squat in this foreign world, and Miyo's advanced technology, which she hardly has access to...I'm making this situation worse the more I talk aren't I? I'm stopping here before I lose all my hard-earned luck. It's one of the few things that has kept me alive all these years. Let's...Let's just get to the hospital." While this was going on with Mamoru's stuttering as the conversation continued, Yuuki couldn't help but inaudibly chuckle at the awkwardness happening on his behalf.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:30] April 17th 22XX

Location: [Arcadia Undercity - Sector 19 Warehouse]

After Katsuo departed with his team following Akio's intel, he finds himself heading inside a large warehouse where the gangs will be meeting according to what he has been told and has mobilized his team in a firm square formation

"Okay guys, get into position. The gang members will be here any second." Katsuo orders as his team begins spreading throughout the building.

After seeing his team set up in their ambush positions, Katsuo and Akio hide behind a small crate waiting for the gangs to show up but wait five minutes; then ten with no sign of anyone entering and the moment Katsuo shifted his glance toward Akio, to demand he explain why they're not coming like he said, he heard several blood-curdling screams from his team in different areas and hears the whirring of gears rapidly proceeding throughout the building in addition to the sound of shrapnel tearing through human flesh.

"What the hell is going on?!" Katsuo snarls as he dashes toward his team but suddenly finds himself being shot in both the leg and his right arm which held his gauntlet, which destroyed it since Miyo's special teleport system wasn't embedded in Katsuo's yet, and he falls on one knee as he finds that he has been shot in the back. He quickly looks toward Akio who is carrying a remarkably evil grin on his face, showing that he was the one who shot Katsuo "What the hell Akio?!"

"You're an idiot. I cannot believe you trusted a double agent who wormed his way into your forces to ultimately destroy you. I brought your team here so my boys could ambush you and erase you from the face of the earth entirely. You will now face retribution for everyone you all have killed."

"_You...bastard!_" Katsuo severely snarls as he clenches his teeth, dashes toward Akio to knock him to the ground with a sweep and pulls a handgun he always keep on his person after fighting so long and aims it straight at Akio "Suffer and burn, you son of a bitch." Katsuo growls as he repeatedly shoots shrapnel at his heart in his rage at this betrayal from the person who had been helping him for over six months as he discovered he has been a mole from day one, with it immediately killing him.

After killing Akio, Katsuo dashed to try saving what members of his team he presumes are still alive, but is quickly intercepted by one of the mechs; with the turret arm swiftly pressed against Katsuo's upper chest and fires immediately with the blast sending a cluster effect tearing into his skin and even disintegrated his right eye, sending him over a canister and falls down to the ground. When he hits the ground, he weakly looks down at the part of his body that got hit and notices several large holes as wherever the mech fire tore right through his body and exposed it to the world. After noticing that his gauntlet was destroyed, the grim realization clicks in that he can't call for his friends for help.

"_Ah shit...looks like this is where I'm going to die. After all these years, I die in a bloody warehouse? God damn it._" Katsuo snarls in his mind as he sees himself bleed out across the concrete floor of this building, with his sight being incredibly weak since he only has one eye right now.

"Katsuo! Oh goddess!" Katsuo heard this shout from an individual garbed in onyx scale armor wearing two swords on his back crouching to his level.

"Kazuto? Why are you here?" Although he was caught off-guard because of the onslaught he had enduring; seeing the black swordsman here did quite a lot to raise his dismal morale.

"Thank Mamoru. He told me to keep an eye on you in case trouble brewed. Which did happen."

"Ugh...I should. But those mechs…They're killing everyone here."

"Don't worry about it. One of Chian's associates came and is dealing with them with her own custom made mecha. She called herself Generia G. She told me she'd stall the enemy and try to rescue as many people as she can. But we don't have time to worry about this. We need to escape and get you medical attention before you end up dead." Kazuto responds very sternly, as he props Katsuo on his left side as he dashes out of the building and activates his gauntlet's communicator remotely which is set in what she calls Telepath mode "_Miyo, it's Kazuto! I need you to get to Arcadia Central Hospital immediately! Katsuo is badly wounded. We need your mechanical expertise here!_"

"_Mechanical expertise for a medical operation? I'll hurry, but I need exposition here. I need to know what exactly is happening so I know what I'll have to make._"

"_I understand. Katsuo was attacked by some anti-organic mech round and he is bad shape from it. He erm...he's missing an eye and some of his organs were hit._"

"_Oh goddess. You guys truly are making me work for my money here. Entire mechanical organ replacement? That's a nightmare and a half for me. It was tough enough making Karen's arm and using magic to create that barrier over her arm. Uh...wait, who in the world used that spell at the time? Ugh...I'll worry about it later. Just get to Arcadia Central, I'm on my way._"

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [14:00] April 17th 22XX

Location: [Arcadia - Arcadia Central Hospital]

Mamoru and Yuuki got to the hospital literally minutes before Katsuo and Kazuto did to get information on if Yuuki's medicine could be manufactured at this location and while learning that while it can be done, it would take time for them to officially begin production but swore that they'd begin producing Yuuki's medicine as soon as they can since they have Yuuki's records from when they left the hospital she went to in Planeptune. Although the doctors said that they would contact her when the medicine is ready, Mamoru asked if Yuuki could stay in a sterile environment under palliative care since he doesn't want her to get sick while waiting for her new batch of immunoboosters. And although it'd be a challenge for them since they're still acclimating to this new nation, they eagerly accepted it nonetheless. With Yuuki being cared of, Mamoru left to return to their hideout and help the others with whatever they need doing.

When Mamoru exited the building and turned a corner to get back to the hideout, Kazuto came out of an opposite corner running to the best of his ability while also supporting the wounded Katsuo. When he gets inside the building, he heavily pants since he ran the entire way from the warehouse where Katsuo was caught in the ambush to Arcadia Central Hospital, which fittingly is the heart of the city in both importance and location.

"Ugh, this was more painful than I anticipated. But we finally got here. I need a doctor, fast!"

Thankfully, one of the doctors quickly arrived with a stretcher after noticing his injuries and Katsuo is quickly put on it with help from the doctor and rushes to the emergency room. When he is brought to his room and hooked up to a futuristic life support system from Planeptune after having wrap bandages applied all over his exposed wounds.

"What happened to this young man sir? Never in my life have I seen injuries like this."

"He got attacked by a new type of weapon which tore him to shreds...literally. Is he going to be okay doc?"

"That's tough to say, but considering the size and number of injuries, it's likely he will perish. However, the next twenty four hours will be very critical. But we'll do everything we can to get him through this."

After this was said, Miyo forced herself into the room with a nurse panting outside the door

"Sorry sir. But she forced her way in."

"Miss, I must ask that you leave. I'm about to-"

"Doctor, I actually asked that she come help. She's very skilled with machines and I figured she could be helpful to you."

"Yeah. Despite our recent arguments, he's still one of my friends and I want to help him."

"Very well. We need to work fast. I need to hurry and get the appropriate tools to begin cleaning his wounds." The doctor says in mild defeat knowing that he won't exactly turn away help considering how bad a shape Katsuo is in.

"Miyo, do you think you can help him?"

"I don't know Kazuto. I just don't know. But I am going to try, no matter what. Even if he outright hates me, I'm not going to just let him die. I need to end this vendetta we have." Miyo grimly states as she walks over to Katsuo's injured body and works the machine that he is hooked up to and frowns very despondently immediately after "I don't have the technology. Nothing I have can save him. And nothing Planeptune has could treat something like this. No goddess could do anything either."

"There must be something Miyo! After everything we've been through, I am not letting him die here!" Kazuto demands as he grabs Miyo's shoulder very tightly.

"I know that!" Miyo shouts out of frustration as she looks down to hide her own anger and sadness "I…Wait, there is only one thing I can think of that can save him at this point, but I swore I would never use the technology again! Not after...Amber."

"Miyo, Katsuo needs to get better!"

"I...I...I just can't Kazuto! My nanotechnology research took away the closest thing to a parent Izumi and I had in this world! I swore...I swore I would never use it after I had to...please don't make me..." Miyo was utterly and completely morose as her mind begins drifting back to the day when she was forced to kill Amber when her experiment went awry.

"Miyo, listen. I know this is a traumatizing experience for you, but we need to face facts. I understand that you lost someone important to you attempting nanotechnology, but I truly do think think Katsuo needs this to survive. Didn't you say before that Amber wanted to help your experiment? I imagine she wouldn't go through with it if she didn't trust you would do your best."

"I…"

"And look at Katsuo, Miyo." Kazuto grimly continues as the pair shift their eyes toward the severely injured Katsuo, whom nearly resembles a mummy with the number of bandages wrapped over his body to cover the gaping holes through his body and the sounds of the life support machines ring out to both individuals watching him "Even you said that conventional medical treatment won't work. He needs unconventional treatment. He _needs_ your nanotechnology. And remember what you would always say? 'I swore never to let past decisions hold me back.' Were you lying when you made this credo?"

"But if I do this...Katsuo will become something...obscene. If I actually manage to pull this off, he'll be more machine than man; if I fail, he'll either become a monster or die. I shouldn't...we shouldn't be making this decision while he's unconscious like this."

"If we don't do this, he won't be able to make a decision. And if you truly want to end this vendetta you two have, saving him will do that. He's not the kind of person who lets old wounds fester when he knows that someone went out of their way to help him."

"I...very well. I'll try." After muttering this, Miyo went to sit on one of the chairs in the room and almost immediately afterward, a number of notebooks appeared in her lap, which she puts on a nearby table, which made Kazuto blink in mild surprise as he notices that all of them are her nanotechnology research "You think I'm an idiot? Even if I was horrified by what happened, I wouldn't exactly destroy every shred of work I poured into it. I'd like to say it's standard practice for scientists to keep records of their work in case the project is restarted in the unforeseen future. It bypasses months or even years of restoration effort which could even fail. If I'm going to face my fear, I might as well minimize the risks by reanalyzing my old notes and correcting what went wrong last time."

"Thank you Miyo. I know this can't be easy for you since I'm forcing you to fear a deep fear, but when a life is at stake, I don't like letting indecision run rampant."

"I know. And...sorry for all this trouble Kazuto. I suppose that eventually, I would've had to face this when I began researching such dangerous fields of science."

"Well; I need to return to my team and recommence my work to secure this nation. But if you need anything, tell me and I'll do my best to do it."

"Heh, thanks. I'll keep that in mind, but for now...I need a little peace and quiet alright? I need to look through a lot of notes and write down what clicked and especially what flopped so I can find alternatives or ignore it."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [8:00] April 21st 22XX

Location: [Arcadia - Arcadia Central Hospital]

Four days have passed since Katsuo was admitted into the hospital and Miyo restarted her nanotechnology research since it was one of the only things that could save him even though she tended to cringe since her mind kept flashing back to her disastrous experiments prior though she did her best to ignore it. As a response, Miyo had spending all of her time purusing all of her notes with very little sleep or sustenance and after finally coming to a breakthrough and a solution that could work on the third day of her research side, she immediately got to work developing the device and worked as quickly as she did back when she designed the computer systems of ASIC's neutron bomb two years prior since she knew that Katsuo's life was depending on her completing it. What surprised her was that her old notes were surprisingly full of details that she had forgotten about and those notes have helped significantly. What had perplexed her during most of the analysis period was finding a way to control the nanites that would be difficult but recalled that Millennia recently upgraded Eclipse's built-in medical systems to better maintain the wearer's vitals out of concern considering the dangerous environs preventing rapid and safe transportation because of the gangs plaguing the streets. Therefore, she contacted the president: Ganache and asked him to send a copy of the upgraded model. And because of how Miyo provided the initial prototype of their console, Ganache proudly sent one of the new prototypes since he owed her a lot for their success.

However, despite the danger, many areas have been secured by the four, or rather two at the current time since Katsuo's team was entirely wiped out because of Akio's betrayal despite Generia G's best efforts as the mechs had torn into his men like ribbons though she did avenge them, as she disabled all those mechs and sent them to the underground garage in the Basilicom for research purposes, by slaughtering everyone in the warehouse and Mamoru's team is still recovering from recent injury and fatigue, teams belonging to Kazuto and Tennouboshi managed to entirely neutralize the gang alliance that attacked Uzume's hideout after learning of their base's location from Lid. With only one gang alliance remaining, Kazuto and Mamoru began coordinating surveillance efforts alongside Moru, Lid, Ein Al, and Generia G as they're all working together to find the hideout belonging to this last conglomeration that's causing such chaos in the huge city so they can take it out once Katsuo and Mamoru's team recovers.

After constructing the device to help Katsuo, Miyo began to limp back to Katsuo's room carrying a new robotic arm model which heavily resembles the one she made for Karen, which she chose as the frame for her newest, if not controversial in her mind, technology.

"Four days of work with no food, water, or sleep. Thankfully, my cybernetics allow such things to happen. But I'm finally done. Now I just need to…" Miyo immediately slumped to her knees after hearing her cybernetics shutting down again like what happened back when she had helped carry Karen up to the Lowee Basilicom "_Shit...not again. I knew the repairs were slapdash, but I thought I'd get more than a year and a half's worth of use with this thing. I may need to decommission them for good. Then again, there was a permanent notice embedded in its records saying that it should've replaced at this point. And since I don't have access to my people's technology in its entirety, I'll need to go without from now on._"

Moments later, Miyo felt some of her fatigue vanish and notices Resta and Uzume crouched next to her. It was brief, but Miyo saw a silver glow on Resta's hands which was a common sign of healing magic, and Uzume passed what appears to be a melon yet made of flour and a small glass of water to Miyo afterward. The two gestures obviously confused her in part of how she has never encountered either of them before.

"Why are you helping a random stranger?"

"You're hardly 'random' Miyo Hanari. We both know of your ties to Aqua Heart and we've heard of your commitment to saving Katsuo Viperia's life. We've come to help you with our magic." Uzume kept a calm face, even though it was hidden by her helmet, when she talked about her knowledge of her friendship to Karen and the work she has fervently done to help Katsuo when he is at his weakest "Considering that we've never truly met before now, let us get introductions dealt with. I am Uzume Tennouboshi. I go by Tenn. This is Resta."

"You have my thanks. I suppose." Miyo responds with a hidden nervous chuckle, though the individual's knowledge of both her bond with Karen and Katsuo was a tad unsettling to her, as she takes a bite of the mysterious food Uzume gave her "Hmm, what is this?"

"It's some sort of culinary confection native to a small yet densely populated island near continent six in Karen's homeworld. Let's just say I attempted to recreate it to the best of my ability despite my low skill in cooking. I think it was called Melonpan."

"I uh...It's an Earth recipe? How did you learn such a thing?"

"One of Karen Koizumi's friends told me. Shino Asada specifically." Uzume says rather bluntly to hide all of the experiences she has gone through and has used a brilliant scapegoat that cannot be questioned since she recalls that Shino had gone back to their own world and Haruka came in her stead.

"Shino? That's unexpected. Anyway thanks. I need to get to Katsuo's room and begin treatment. Let's go."

"As soon as he gets better, you need to rest. If you wish, I'll grant you solace in my sanctuary."

"I appreciate it. Having a safe place to rest will be very nice."

The trio then walk toward Katsuo's hospital room and inspect his battered body laid out on his bed with one of the doctors looking over him while he was comatose

"He okay Doctor?" Miyo inquires with a degree of despondence at Katsuo's current condition even though she still remembers the fangs of his malice toward her.

"He's stable but not recovering. I presume you have come up with something?"

"Mhm. Is he still under anesthesia?"

"He is, but he hasn't responded to any outside stimuli ever since he was brought here. While it's only conjecture, my theory is that his mind is fighting the call of death even though his body is passively calling because of its weakened state."

"Thank goodness. Could you leave this to us Doc? I imagine you have other patients to treat."

Miyo was answered with a simple nod and with him gone, she then looks toward Resta and Uzume after hearing of Katsuo's status "Do either of you have any offensive magic? Wind magic preferably?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Several of his limbs are beyond saving, same with his organs. Once we remove his right arm, I'll begin the process of repairing the damage. But there is an ulterior reason: If this fails, I need you to help me put him down."

"Put him down? What do you mean?" Resta innocently inquires at the rather bleak possibility.

"You'll know it when you see it Resta." Miyo says with a small frown as she recalls what happened last time she worked with nanotechnology.

* * *

After the warning was given, Uzume and Resta used magic to create sharp blades made out of wind and followed Miyo's directions as they began severing the limbs too badly damaged by the mech's anti-personnel weapon and they swiftly use the barrier magic Uzume has used to help Karen when she lost her arm against CFW Magic. The sight of the dismembered Katsuo, though they're saving the arm for last since Miyo needs to apply the new arm and the magic would block it from working the way she needs it to, truly disturbed all three individuals though Uzume and Miyo did their best to swallow the disgust as they needed to remain at top mental shape for their work though Resta needed quite a bit of encouragement from them to keep working. When she sees the magic applied and his arm severed, Miyo swiftly applies the robotic arm to replace the old and grips the controller to activate the nanites.

Within minutes after their activation, metallic appendages began materializing over the right side of his face with a gray eyepiece with several teal blue layers and underneath it all, there is an electronic yellow eye immediately reacting with the sound resembling gears opening and closing in rapid sequence as it looks around which differs from his normal forest green eye on his left side, the various holes throughout his torso, and his leg. After seeing his new limbs materialize through the crystallization of the nanites, she presses a few buttons on her controller as she hovered it over Katsuo's body.*

"Damaged vital organs...replaced and at 92% compatibility. Heart...replaced and stable. I just need to determine which blood type he is so I can direct the heart to truly synchronize with his body and pump out the blood he needs. Vitals are rising. Tenn, Resta, stay alert. He may need healing magic to stabilize his pulse while his body attempts to adjust to its new enhancements. The last four days, in terms of importance, is nothing compared to this."

After handling the nanite regulation with the controller from her last experiment and the duo using healing magic when his heart rate rising beyond critical levels which brought the heart rate to normal levels, she proudly grins when she finds that the nanites have been deactivated once his damaged organs have been reconstructed with synthetic replacements "_I've done it. It had been years since I have done anything within this field but I've succeeded. My last three attempts failed horrifically, but I've succeeded. I no longer need to feel so traumatized when I know I can succeed._" Miyo felt immense feelings of relief knowing that she has finally succeeded and knows that the field can be performed without endangering whoever undergoes it. She quickly writes down what she has done in this experiment so she can ensure further success if she is forced to do this again "_Amber, my nanotechnology project has finally succeeded. My selfishness led to your own undoing years ago, but I have learned the error of my ways here: I must remain looking toward the future for my friends and never let fear consume me. As long as I have my friends and family with me, I will never fail. Everyone who is depending on me to use my technological expertise._"

Within minutes after his limbs fully crystallized, his left eye slowly opened and he turned his head toward Miyo and the others

"Miyo? Where are-? Why does my body feel so heavy?"

"I've had to commit rather extreme levels of surgery to you Katsuo. The injuries done to you demanded it. You might want to see the specifics yourself." Miyo lost her prior optimism when Katsuo had actually questioned about his condition and gave him a small hand mirror so he can see what he has become. She, in every way, expected the horror he would show moments later.

"I-I-I-What have you done to me?!"

"I had no other option Katsuo. If you wished to live, which your friends say you would want, I would have to use my nanotechnology concept and remake you into a cyborg. You have no idea how terrified I was while I was trying this. But I did it to both save your life and to end this feud you have with me."

Katsuo deeply sighed and simply shifted his gaze from Miyo to the window for a moment, even though it felt like hours for him, and returned it to the trio that helped him "While I appreciate the fact you saved me, I'm not even human anymore; so the gratitude is rather mixed."

"You're just exaggerating a little Katsuo. But I understand your irritations. But the fact is that I saved your life and have given you brand new powers."

"New powers? What do you mean: new powers?"

"For one, your arm carries a feature I was planning on installing in Karen's arm but this situation has given me an opportunity to field test it properly. I'll take it one step at the time, but the one I wish to give notice of is one I am sure you will enjoy. Get up from your bed and I'll tell you it."

Katsuo simply nodded in acknowledgement at Miyo's request, got up from his bed and stared in her direction "Alright then, spill it."

"Patience Katsuo." Miyo urges rather solemnly as she looks toward Resta and Uzume "I'd step back a little bit you guys, just in case." Miyo continues as she backs to the other end of the room with the other two at her side "Katsuo, picture a sword, any sword, in your mind."

"Erm, sure." Katsuo answered in a very confused manner and followed her request as he pictured the first sword he could think of, which was one of Kazuto's signature weapons from Aincrad: Elucidator, and moments later, he could see the sword begin to materialize from his robotic hand with it automatically gripping the hilt as it is created "Holy! How in the world was I able to create this sword!?"

"It's a copy created through mental images directed by the nanites within your arm. While it is restricted by your own memory, this new feature will allow you to create weapons freely. But I'd urge you to exercise caution with this one. There could be dire repercussions I know nothing about."

"Got it, got it. Now, I want to ask. Can I get out there and fight? I want to avenge my men after they died in that ambush." After this, Katsuo felt the sword begin to dissolve and remerge with his hand with it confusing him a tad bit.

"You're psychotic. You just spent the last four days being reconstructed and you want to go out there and get killed again? Don't ever change. And that's one of its features: It stays longer when you are in battle." Miyo truly was confounded when hearing of his desire to go out fighting yet again though she chuckled amusedly since she has gotten accustomed to that mindset of his "I would hold off on it though. Kazuto and Mamoru have been concerned about you. Ophelia and the others are too."

"Noted. But it's high time I get back into action however. I need to take those gangs down and secure order in this nation."

"I need to warn you of one more thing Katsuo. Keep the nanite thing quiet as much as you can."

"Why? Is there a reason?"

"Mhm. If people learn of the nanites you possess in your new arm and learn I was its creator, people may try stealing my technology to reverse engineer it for their own purposes. It's happened to me in the past before and I had to go to quite a few lengths tracking them down and erm...silencing them permanently."

"Wha?! Did you kill them to keep a monopoly on your creations?!"

"Do you think I'm that freaking petty to kill people for such a reason!? No. I killed them to ensure my technology is kept from inexperienced hands. What I can build of my people's technology is far too dangerous for any random joe to use. I keep my most dangerous and controversial technology in my exclusive hands so no one else is harmed. This is one exception that I overlooked since I had never truly perfected this field until now. What I sell to people are harmless knicknacks. I'm getting off track but do not let anyone you do not trust witness the nanite project. Keep it secret no matter what."

"I understand. I'll safeguard this secret until the day I die."

After this, Katsuo walked out of the hospital room with a proud step to reunite with his friends to recommence his duty to fight for justice, with Miyo, Resta, and Uzume leaving almost immediately after, but in the direction of Uzume's sanctuary so Miyo could rest from her own technical escapades.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] April 21st 22XX

Location: [Arcadia - Basilicom]

After Karen reunited with some of her old colleagues: Filia, Garrus, and Wrex, she laid down a foundation with Uzume's authorization to have the trio act as leaders for her team since they all have years of combat experience and they have been working alongside Kazuto's and Mamoru's teams directly as one unified alliance similar to the two alliances the gangs hold. Their combined teamwork allowed them to destroy the smaller gang alliance and liberate a great deal of territory and place it under their watch. Karen however hasn't been able to focus much on this front as she is busy enough with her status as Aqua Heart in the Basilicom and her waitress job as Haruhi Kaibara. What had caught her off-guard was that Linda told her that she had a visitor who wished to meet with her at the Basilicom and with that piece of news being relayed, Karen expressed the desire to leave work so she could meet with the client and knowing the urgency of the true self of her double life, Chian authorized the early leave.

What worried Karen after the day's battles were concluded was that it was reported that Izumi had pushed herself far too much with the daily office work and would need a full week's rest in the clinic to recover from the physical exhaustion, in addition to the fact that with Miyo out of the Basilicom, and working with Bae'lin in her family's shrine before the fact, she has had to leave Linda and Pirachu doing all the work.

After she arrived in the underground garage riding her new bike she got from Chian after Linda accidentally destroyed it helping Izumi, Karen transformed into her goddess form and calmly walks toward the teleporter to get to the lobby to meet with her guest. When she gets to the lobby, she is rather surprised seeing the individual here in Arcadia considering her immense loyalty to her nation.

"What are you doing here in Arcadia?"

* * *

*Okay, I admit, that was completely my fault; I missed the tiny error of last chapter's mess-up since I didn't notice it in my walls of text when Garrus, Wrex, and Karen went to talk with Bae'lin. It was a slight oversight on my part, but the meaning now has a deeper meaning now. Also, I'd like you guys to guess at who the mysterious individual who arrived in Arcadia is.

If you want an idea of what the armored carapace on Katsuo's face looks like, refer to what Jeremiah has on his face in season 2 of Code Geass.

And if you hadn't noticed, I have been including many characters from Neptunia Victory and Hyperdevotion Noire and even a couple from the original Neptunia game.

Also, the way I attempted to describe the aging process is similar to the Milletians from the MMO: Mabinogi. Minus the natural immortality and reincarnation process via the Soul Stream. The way this works is erm...look it is complicated to explain, but I'll try my best. The basic premise goes like this: All of the worlds connected follow this time scheme: Every ten years in Gamindustri is a day in the other worlds (please for dear god, do not fact check me with the comparison I made in Shiro, I am not that meticulous.) yet the individuals from other worlds genetically carry the perspective of time from their world and even applies to a few following generations though it is capable of being phased out through enough generations with Gamindustri natives. It's tough to explain and is better witnessed than told.

Putting it more simply, you can compare the newcomers to Gamindustri to the Milletians, but after a few generations of Gamindustri natives with no foreign blood added, they become similar to the Tuatha de Danan.


	20. Chapter 18: Discovery of Foreign Powers

A/N: Okay guys, while this chapter is rather long, it is rather important as a precursor for the upcoming battle in the next chapter and regarding that: I'd like to ask for a beta reader who is very skilled with writing fight scenes since the one I am planning will take up nearly the entire chapter.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] April 21st 22XX

Location: [Arcadia - Basilicom]

After arriving in the Arcadian Basilicom's lobby, Karen found a familiar individual with short silver hair and cobalt blue eyes, wearing her regular black attire from her time as the Oracle of Lastation: Kei Jinguji.

"You see Karen Koizumi, or rather Lady Aqua Heart; I have decided to leave Lastation since the nation requires very little upkeep at this time and my talents were wasted there. Noire and Uni are more than sufficient to handle the amount of paperwork they receive. I did have the tiniest of inklings of going to Planeptune, but I would be incapable of standing Neptune for a single hour and then I remembered you had left the mainland to form your own nation and that girl: Linda had asked me to get her there. I have come with an offer: If you desire, I will offer my talents as this land's Oracle."

"Hmm, that seems rather convenient Kei. You obviously should be expecting this question from me considering the fact that you're a close confidant of Noire's. Are you attempting this to gather classified information within Arcadia's government and give it to Noire?"

"It's smart of you to take such necessary precautions considering my background, but rest assured, I am not doing this to deliver information to Noire like you claim. I am not fond of complacency and require a substantial amount of work to satisfy. A new nation like this will likely have its hands full trying to maintain order, especially with the conditions you requested over a year ago."

"I won't disagree that it's a challenge keeping things together, but we learn to get by after a while. Miyo, Izumi, Linda, and Pirachu have been loyal and determined to keep this nation as stable as possible, despite their low compatibilities with this kind of job. I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without their help."

"It is admirable to have such loyalty among your subordinates but the fact is like you said: They lack the capability for this job and should be properly assigned to jobs befitting their skill sets. Miyo Hanari's expertise is technological R&amp;D. Izumi Mizutani is a healer and would be better suited to working in a hospital setting. As for Linda and Pirachu...I can only see them as posters for the concept of rehabilitation if you agree with such things. If you want the best for this nation, you need to maintain proper government staff and a perfect Oracle to lead them all." Kei had her usual 'business overshadows everything' mentality when she spoke of her propositions regarding Karen's friends who are currently working with her in the government.

"Wow, aren't you condescending? But I won't disagree that it's ideal to match people with their best skills in terms of both productivity and morale."

"Indeed. I have heard that you have temporarily hired the previous oracle of Leanbox as your advisor. What I don't know is what has transpired for her to leave your court. Mind if I ask this question?"

"She left my employ to work on several magical spells. The first is the barrier that covered this entire continent which has been removed and she is attempting to find a way to ensure our food can be used to feed any species that finds themselves here in Gamindustri. Miyo has been assisting her as best as possible. But we're getting too wrapped up in random dialogues. Work has been piling up with Bae'lin, Miyo, Izumi, _and_ Linda gone. Pirachu has been doing his best, but considering his size, one of the few things he's capable of doing is bringing the paperwork from A to B. Since I'm far too shorthanded here, I won't turn away experienced professionals who I know won't betray me to criminal factions. You're too stiff to work with makeshift criminal groups."

"It's worse than I thought. And I'll consider that last statement a compliment Aqua Heart. And because I feel generous right now, I'll tell you that there are several reasons for my coming here and offering my skill as oracle. While I do desire to help and sate my desire for constant work; the deal you made with the other CPUs is a big reason. If you aren't careful, you could give far too many secrets to Planeptune, Lowee, Leanbox, and Lastation. Having a skilled businesswoman and negotiator like myself will ensure your nation stays several steps ahead."

"Goddess, you're as unpredictable as a tsunami. And people considered _me_ brash for acting independently and working against my allies back during the war against ASIC."

"Perhaps so, but I go where my skills are best appreciated. Noire and Uni have the political situation in Lastation well under control; I decided against Lowee since I am not good with children and Mina and Blanc have the region under control; despite all appearances suggesting otherwise, Chika and Vert have Leanbox secure; and like I said before, I would not be able to stand Neptune's antics for an hour before she drove me out. How Histoire and Nepgear tolerates her confuses me. That left only one option: The brand new nation of Arcadia formed by the goddess: Aqua Heart. So will you accept me as Oracle?"

"You have been through a great deal on the slim possibility of me hiring you. I applaud your determination in this matter and because of how work has been getting out of hand because of the population explosions here, I will need as much skilled help as I can. Like I've said, Bae'lin is far too busy with other important matters that benefit my nation's purposes which leaves me with no Oracle to assist me in my duties."

"Very good. If you can direct me to an available office, I'll begin work immediately. Securing order in all reaches should be our first priority."

"There are dozens, if not hundreds, of empty rooms in this Basilicom. Ideally, I'll want you close by my own office as my Oracle since I'd want you to be close so urgent reports can be brought to my attention promptly. Bae'lin had been working in a room adjacent to my own so you can work there." Karen responds with a calm confirmation as she turns around toward the appropriate teleporter pad that takes her to her office.

"Hold up a moment. I wish to offer a suggestion regarding the situation of creating peace in the region. Chian has told me that four groups have fought day and night in the name of order. If you wish, I will arrange for the creation of a police group with the leaders of those four groups being the administrators of the new government sanctioned police."

"Baby steps Kei. If we're going to do such things, we need to stabilize the government's infrastructure to actually possess such a thing since they will need funding, which we cannot proper supply at this time. However, we might be able to use the image of it to inspire people to rise up and fight against the criminal gangs. If we show that those four groups are our official law enforcers, that should encourage people to support them. But trust me when I say that one of those leaders will be hesitant to show herself to the public; she's rather secretive, but her desire to keep my nation safe and her controlling what could be the strongest individual 'gang' proves it."

"Who is this individual you speak of? I need to confirm her loyalty first hand if what you say is true. If she has the strongest forces and decides to betray you, we need to find a way to ensure she can be made submissive."

"Not necessary and don't talk any more about this Kei. She won't betray me; she gave me a solemn pledge to support me and I know it is genuine. I am a good judge of character." Karen sternly voiced this when she heard of Kei's desire to keep Uzume subdued. While it has happened a few times already, Karen couldn't help but feel some relief knowing that she is capable of exhibiting anger when she is mad in her HDD form since she had presumed that this form's elegance would prevent any sort of angry outburst.

"As you desire. You're the CPU after all. In the end, your word is law, though my position as Oracle is to assist you in managing the government and to offer suggestions on what to do in your daily affairs. I'd be around to advise your actions so the citizens will think of you in a positive manner to invigorate share energy."

"_She has a point there Karen. Every proper CPU has an Oracle at her side to advise her activities and maintain the citizens' happiness which is a significant part of share energy. As much of a pain in the rear end this woman is, she is the best Oracle, aside from Histoire, that I have seen in this generation. I want to say you should take anything she says with a grain of salt because of her personality, but her determination and skill as oracle may supersede all else._"

* * *

After Karen pondered what Caelus had said to her, she mentally nodded and led Kei to the office Bae'lin had chosen as the Oracle's office. When the pair enter the office that is adjacent to Karen's, they find a large room with pure silver colored walls, with massive windows on the far end one would find in a church but completely blank yet tinted to minimize the reflection one would have to deal with from the sunlight as the windows face the direction of the sunrise to midday. What strikes Kei's interest is a large desk styled in a large circle with a small opening for a person to walk into the desk's radius, with the chair being kept on a rail allowing for easy movement of the chair to the three different computer towers being spread out underneath the desk, but each tower hosts three computer monitors above them on the desk which allows for a great deal of work to be done at all times of the day. Kei walks forward to inspect the office while Karen simply waits at the entrance with a calm face as she waits to hear of Kei's thoughts on the office.

"This is a remarkable office. Plenty of space at four hundred square feet, the chair is comfortable yet firm enough not to distract me from my work, the computers are state of the art and well placed to ensure maximal strategic efficiency, and there is no glare from the sun on the monitors. And if I'm right, there is even a sub-wing for one to sleep in over to the right. You have good architectural sense Aqua Heart."

"My father is the CEO of a large gaming company so you tend to pick things up. Productivity is key in any business, but you must also ensure you create a comfortable living experience for the employees so their enthusiasm stays high which increases said productivity. Unhappy employees will work very little after all."

"Indeed. Now, direct the rat to bring all paperwork to this office from now on and I'll convert them to digital form. I presume you've been working near non-stop since you established your nation?"

"You've hit the nail on the head. While I took breaks to do conventional work in my human form to get credits to help pay for food, I've pretty much stayed in HDD form during these last two years. It was not easy to do this in addition to the power I've been exerting to halt my friends' biological clocks and of those from other worlds, but it's been getting a little easier since my power has increasing a great deal."

"It's likely because you have so many people from foreign lands coming to your nation for prosperity and they revere you for it. But that is something I'd like to talk about. Before I left Lastation, Noire and the others have grown concerned over your nation's exponential growth and what is being seen as domination of the world's shares in addition to you 'stealing' citizens from their nations. They say that if you could find a way to limit your possible share capacity and immigrants entering your land, the other nations would likely be far more cooperative with you."

"Oh, you must be-" Karen immediately stopped and groaned hearing what Kei had propositioned regarding her nation's amount of share energy it has at this moment and the people entering her land "Is it even possible to 'contain' worship? Am I supposed to exile an x amount of people to Planeptune, Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox? I just want to keep people safe. Besides, I've only been a goddess for two years and I know next to nothing about all this. I've been treating this position as a glorified governor of sorts."

"When you put it that way, it does sound impossible, in addition to rude and demanding. It's merely something the others have expressed."

"Well...I'll see if something can be done on my end. I don't want to be seen as someone desiring to dominate the world or anything, especially since I fought with everything I had to dispose of the last group that attempted this crap. But pass a message along that they're still asking for the impossible. As soon as we find a way back to our worlds, we'll leave and the status quo will go back to normal."

What surprised Karen when she had said this was the uncharacteristically somber grim expression on Kei's face "So you really do plan on leaving Gamindustri when you gain the ability to?"

"We have to Kei. Although the intent was noble, Histoire still abducted us from our world and we need to return to them. I also want to make sure that Miyo, Izumi, Garrus, Wrex, Bae'lin, and everyone else has the option as well. As a goddess of the disenfranchised people from other worlds, I want to get these poor souls home."

"That's reasonable Aqua Heart. But I doubt your citizens would share your views since they would see it as you abandoning them."

"I'm aware, and that's something I don't want to happen to this land I created. This may be considered unorthodox, but I want to structure Arcadia's government differently from the other nations. Because of how I won't be here forever, I want to form a more permanent civilian government to help run this nation."

"A civilian government in place of a CPU ruling over the nation?" After Kei said this short sentence, she sat down in the chair, cupped her hands in front of her face and then looked up toward Karen "You are the most abnormal CPU I have ever seen in my life. It's as if you wish to minimize the effort you will need to perform to maintain national vitality and place full trust in elected representatives." Kei said this with her usual business-like tone but cracked a small smile "Gamindustri thrives on such varied diversity and you are straying from the status quo to mark your own place in history. Helping you achieve this would also immortalize me in the annals of history for assisting in revolutionary standards. When I first got here, I had presumed my job here would be standard cookie-cutter Oracle work, but now that I hear that new bars are being set, that inspires me to work even more than I did when I was in Noire's retinue."

"I had better hope so. I have high standards after all, though my friends sometimes tend to be exceptions."

"No matter what standards you set, I will achieve them. You can depend on me CPU Aqua Heart. For now however, let me get to my work. However, since you likely have been depriving yourself of meaningful entertainment because of your work, I wish to give a gift to bolster both your spirits and productivity. Like you said mere moments ago, morale is important to any business or organization and if the leader is suffering, everyone below her will as well. So take this." Kei had gotten up from her chair and walked toward Karen as she spoke until she within arm's length and pulled out a thin case from within her inventory and shows it to the goddess in front of her "This was something of a farewell gift from Noire, but I am not fond of games of this nature; work keeps me entertained."

Karen takes the case and looks at both the front and back of the game case and sees it's for a what appears to be an MMO called Four Goddesses Online 2.

"An MMO? This is a strange farewell gift Kei. And another thing; will I even be able to play this game here in Arcadia since it says that only four servers are in the game? I don't have conventional computer hardware to play games, only the Eclipse VR headset from Millennia."

"You should be able to. As long as you possess a good enough computer that can handle the graphics. As far as I know, the controller means little. Enjoy a small respite."

"Once I tie up two last loose ends, I'll give it a try."

Karen calmly walked out of Kei's office after she spoke this, first planning to find Pirachu to tell him of the update to where to take the paperwork from now on. Thankfully, she finds him in the lobby about to grab another stack of paperwork to bring it to Miyo's, Izumi's, and Linda's office like usual.

"I'm glad I caught you Pirachu. You have to bring the paperwork to the Oracle's office next to mine from now on. Since Bae'lin left the job of Oracle to assist in magical research, the former Lastation Oracle has taken her place and will assist me in running this nation."

"You hired Kei-chump? I know things are tough, but is it that bad where you have to hire people who worked with other CPUs?"

"Pirachu; just think about the last couple of days. Miyo, Izumi, _and_ Linda have been out of the Basilicom dealing with medical emergencies, and I've been out fighting for days. That left just you, and you have said doing this work is impossible. Stuff like this is entirely possible since our staff numbers five, six with Kei joining. Look, I know you may not have good relations with the Oracles, but I'd truly appreciate you, at the very least, accepting her presence here. We need her skill here."

"Mmm...I am hesitant to give out trust to the CPUs and their Oracles because of our history with ASIC since they hate us-chump, but you are the only one Linda and I trust, since you are very much different from the others because of your background. Since you were generous enough to give us a roof over our heads, food, and work-chump, I'll try my best Madam Aqua Heart."

"Thank you Pirachu. I know I've been a bit of a pain to deal with, but I appreciate all the loyalty you guys have shown me these last two years." When she heard of Pirachu's determination, Karen couldn't help but smile at the thought, and because of how her HDD form amplified her maternal side, her attitude while in goddess form tends to lean toward a mother hen.

"Chuuu...when you say something like that with your angelic voice, it's difficult to hold any sort of anger or anything close."

"I wish everyone held that mindset. As much as my recent actions say otherwise, I have a certain aversion for fighting. Even though competition drives any industry forward into the future, I want that competition to be tranquil; one that doesn't demand bloodshed. I'm fighting to ensure peace can prosper in this nation I have created. Have you brought any of the paperwork to Miyo's office?"

"A few stacks Lady Aqua Heart. But that's just today chump. There are huge piles that Kei will have to deal with. I'll have to bring them to her."

"Let me help; Kei told me to leave the work to her and enjoy a respite but I can't really bring myself to enjoy such a thing if I know that others are breaking their backs working while I slack off. I'd feel too guilty if I attempted it. If we can work together, I think it may only take two hours at the max. Well, hopefully. It depends on how much is in there. Let's go."

"Chuuuuuu. You truly are a saint Lady Aqua Heart! The fact you are willing to help a lowly employee like me only proves your angelic nature."

"Oh please, you're going to make me blush at this rate. Let's just get this over with so we can enjoy a well-deserved respite."

The duo quickly nod in acknowledgement and walk to Miyo and Izumi's office via the teleporters in the lobby, but when Karen opened the door to the office, all she could do was blink in awe at the sight of what must be dozens of stacks scattered around the room from the floor to the ceiling

"Goodness. I knew things were piling up because of all of our absence, but I never knew it was _this_ bad. Let's hurry and get this finished with quickly."

Karen quickly walks toward the most concentrated piles of paperwork and snaps her index finger on her right hand with her thumb and immediately afterward, four of the largest stacks begin floating in midair around her.

"How'd you do that chu?"

Karen simply sighed in mild discontent as she glanced at her arm "It's something Miyo directly uploaded about a month ago when I was asleep. This allows me to affect gravity to a very limited extent and I've mostly used it for my j-combat sessions, ya know, out in the city fighting those gangs." Karen was rather calm up until she almost mentioned the job she holds at Celestia and quickly changed the subject to a more noble thought of preserving order in the city like what Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, and Uzume have been doing for months now.

"That's incredible chu. Miyo truly is a technological savant if she's able to pull stuff like that off."

"I can only imagine what she is capable of creating with a dedicated, experienced team supporting her and all of the resources she would ever need. She mentioned she usually always worked alone and had to get her materials from monster hunts or used discarded materials from junkyards. But come on, we need to get all this stuff to Kai so she can work."

"Right chu!"

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] April 21st 22XX

Location: [Arcadia Undercity - Hideout]

After undergoing the robotization that Miyo and Kazuto had decided for him since he was comatose from the severe wounds he suffered against the X-34 Shredder mechs that were hidden in the warehouse that killed his entire squad, he slowly walked through the city wearing the new clothes Miyo had gotten for him and because of the magic imbued within the clothes the chrome silver jacket is a perfect fit, but ever since they have declared themselves as Arcadian citizens, Katsuo and the others no longer choose to wear clothes that change their appearance via magic since they no longer want to hide behind such things in their own nation. Katsuo has seen that it has a simple, but elegant blanket plaid pattern, giving the suit a dignified look. The six buttons of his single breasted jacket are all buttoned up and do a remarkable job of hiding the extreme levels of cybernetic alterations done to his body, aside from the eyepiece transplanted on his face, with it constantly looking around the environments since he currently has no control over it. The jacket is the same length all around, though it possesses a vent at the back which has become the third focal point of the nanotechnology that has managed to save his life, with the others being his artificial heart and his arm, and as a standard feature of most jackets, there are a great number of pockets spread throughout it. And the only enchantment the clothes possess is what allows it to be a one-size fits all, so his appearance is exactly like how he normally is, and the others have been following suite with their new custom outfits

"_I didn't say anything since I did not wish to sound like an insensitive jackass, but god do I hate this new body of mine. And after remembering what Mamoru had said regarding power, I suddenly feel a lot more somber about this. Huh. It took nearly dying and being revived with a robotic body to learn that lesson._" Katsuo scowls in his mind as he stares at his mechanical arm that has replaced his wounded organic one "It's been four days since that battle. I need to see the others and tell them that I've come back to life."

When he finally made it back to the hideout, he is immediately tackled by both Haruka and Ophelia, tears flowing down their faces despite the happy faces they are carrying, with Mamoru simply walking toward him, carrying a grave frown as he stares him down.

"Geez you guys, don't kill me or anything. I just regained my life after all." Katsuo couldn't help but lightly smile and chuckle seeing the others so happy to see him.

"You...You idiot! How can you be so calm after what happened to you?!" Haruka weakly mutters through her crying, though she's beyond glad that one of her closest friends has survived such grievous wounds.

Katsuo simply let out a small hum and looked away with indecision on his face but quickly returned his glance toward Haruka "I just have to remind myself that what I do is for the well-being of this entire nation that my goddess has created with all our efforts. If I get hurt doing this, I'll shrug off the pain and continue fighting until the bitter end. If I am scarred to this degree, I will carry them as a testament to my dedication for the safety of all."

"Haruka has a point you know. You're a pure bred idiot for trusting Akio despite our warnings. Honestly, if you weren't half-machine at this point, I would punch you in the stomach." Mamoru retorts rather solemnly since he feels like all this could've been prevented if he had listened to them.

"I know alright. The blood of all my men are on my hands and I was the one who got them all slaughtered. Booker, Nigel, Arron, Angelus, Octavia, Melissa, Calista...I remember each one of them. I heard their...no. I can't let my mind drift to the slaughter." Katsuo responds very somberly, with his voice cracking as he briefly recalls the screams in that warehouse four days ago as his trusted comrades died very painfully to the mechs that destroyed many parts of his own body. The fact that these seven individuals joined Katsuo and the others from the very start and survived nearly two years, only to die right when victory was within grasp; it bothers Katsuo more than anything right now "I regret this with every fiber of my being, but I realized what you were trying to tell me about keeping power at a distance. But if I have learned anything, I do not deserve to become a leader of men when my foolishness resulted in me leading them to their deaths. Mamoru, I want to ask you to let me join your team to fight as a simple soldier." Katsuo muttered this as he feels like he finally relearned how to be more humble in his objectives.

"After everything you've suffered, you want to return to the battlefield? And your request is denied. Are you so horrified over one loss that you want to stop being a leader after all the victories you've won? That's just foolish!"

"I led my men to their deaths! _HOW DARE_ you write them off so nonchalantly!" After Mamoru called Katsuo's feelings on the fact he personally led the men and women who were working with him for nearly two years to their deaths utterly foolish, his downcast expression quickly shifted to that of utter and complete rage as he stormed over toward Mamoru, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifts him in the air a short amount with this being possible because of his new body giving him a significantly increased limit of strength.

"Katsuo. This is comparable to a freaking war. Listen to my words very clearly. _Deaths. Are. Unavoidable in war_. Remember what I told you in Aincrad years ago: you are a talented leader. You may not be a tactician like Karen was, but your strength was inspiring your troops by fighting alongside them. Why do you think they were so committed to helping you to the end? You inspired them to give their all in this cause. What you lack in strategy, you make up for in strength and loyalty. That is something Karen was never able to do. When things went awry, she was forced to rely on what we were capable of. Think of it as a tad crude, but as talented as she was, she was still utterly dependent on us all to turn the tide. Since we're still not getting much in the way of people right now, I'm diverting half my troop to your command. But I am thankful of one thing: Once we complete this final operation, we'll be able to put down our weapons for good, or atleast create an environment where we won't need to directly kill anyone anymore." To Haruka and Ophelia's surprise, Mamoru was completely calm even though Katsuo was genuinely pissed off and was in a position where he could be seriously hurt by Katsuo's new strength.

"But I-!" Katsuo tried to say more but he was stopped by Mamoru as he continued speaking, cutting Katsuo off.

"You know I'm right Katsuo. _Now let me go._" In response to the grave statement given by Mamoru, Katsuo released his grip on Mamoru's collar, quickly dropping to ground level and he readjusts his collar rather gently as his shirt got rather ruffled from Katsuo's forceful lift in the air and when he sees that Haruka and Ophelia are naturally freaked out by this display, he lets his rather negative snarl fade and put on a gentler smile "Relax. After all the rambunctious kids I've babysat for, I'm used to a degree of physical assault. Ophelia, did you actually find out anything regarding those weapons from the black market?" Mamoru asked this to try changing the mood of the conversation.

"I think I just about solved the puzzle Mamoru, but I have to admit: trying to analyze these weapons was more complicated than I'd like to admit. I'm thankful we stopped getting these things last year when Chian promised to manufacture weapons and armor for us. I actually had to ask for assistance from Chian and a few others but I discovered the truth behind the source from Noire. Apparently a black market was created in Lastation during the crisis with ASIC and that very market is the one indirectly funding all of these gangs, including ours before Chian stepped in. I have no idea whatsoever how they were able to smuggle so many weapons into this nation, but Noire swore that she would help us shut down this market for good. She's gathering the other CPUs, the Candidates, and her allies to get rid of it. They said they'll leave the infighting to us since this is solely an Arcadian issue."

"Figures. Normally I say that's for the best but I do wish that we could get more reinforcements on our side since the enemy has begun mass-deploying those Shredder mechs. As you probably know Katsuo, they could tear us all apart effortlessly. Now that I think of it: Katsuo, why are you so eager to rejoin our fight? Don't you want time to recover?"

"I owe everyone that much. I don't want to betray their desire to see a peaceful Arcadia, so I will continue to fight for that dream. I want to ensure their deaths were not in vain. So I will-Wait, where's Kazuto and Yuuki? I thought they'd be here." Katsuo starts with a grim sincerity and a deep frown as he professes his desire to not disappoint the people who had put their deep trust in him to win a peaceful land for themselves, their families, their neighbors, and for everyone else in the world, but when he noticed Kazuto's and Yuuki's absence, he quickly made that question known.

"Not sure where Kazuto went actually. He said he had business in town and left a while ago. He shut down his gauntlet so we can't track him. And Yuuki said she wanted to visit a friend she made in Planeptune so she'll be away for a while." Mamoru was truthful when it came to Kazuto's current situation but because of how Miyo and Mamoru are Yuuki's confidants with her condition, Mamoru lied about where she is to hide the fact she is staying in Arcadia Central Hospital to get treated as best as possible.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [13:50] April 21st 22XX

Location: [Arcadia - Basilicom]

Despite Uzume's generous offer back in the hospital, Miyo quickly found the living conditions within her hideout a tad uncomfortable as she felt like the massive golems she brought into existence were watching her every move and trying to sleep in such conditions was difficult so she gave her farewells to the group of brave fighters and returned to the Basilicom as it has been her home ever since she took up residence within Arcadia. She entered the great hall that was the government bureau's lobby and walked over to the teleporter that leads to Karen's office since her bedroom is in that wing but when she passed by Karen's office to return to her sleeping quarters, she couldn't help but overhear someone speaking in the room.

"Geez! Take it easy. You're with a young human girl here, so be more gentle." Karen groans as she's clearly talking with someone in the room, talking about something a tad mysterious, though Miyo quickly noticed that the voice was borne from Aqua Heart's lips, indicating that she's transformed like usual.

"I'm sorry okay; it's been nearly a month and a half since I have been able to get over here and your muscles are tense. Can't you just try to relax?"

"_That voice...Kazuto? Why is he here? And...what are they doing in there?_" Miyo couldn't help but ask herself just what in the world the pair are doing and is paralyzed at the door to better hear the situation.

"Easier said than- Ah!"

"S-Sorry! Did I apply too much pressure there?"

"Not...exactly. It's just that...my body is too stiff. Please...take it slow until it loosens up alright?"

"I'm trying, geez. Honestly, I told you the last three times to try staying limber. You know Filia would be telling you that you're neglecting your basic needs by ignoring this. Even she asks me for this when she's not out in the field exploring."

"_E-Even Filia?! She's wrapped up in whatever is going on here?! What could they be doing in there?_"

"I-I know that Kazuto. But I'm a goddess and I have to take care of all the politics in this nation. I lack the time to keep my body limber." Karen whines as she was practically scolded by Kazuto about what he has told her repeatedly and the mention of Filia's thoughts on the subject.

"Yeah well, let's just get to it and finish as quickly as we can."

"Yeah...please."

"STOP!" Miyo finally regained a degree of control over her senses as she shouted this and pulls out a handgun as a last-case security precaution and kicked the door open as she rapidly glanced around the room looking for Karen and Kazuto. She quickly finds the pair in the exposed subwing dedicated as Karen's living quarters simply staring at her with confused expressions on their faces and the thoughts that had been running her mind quickly deserted her as she sees that both Kazuto and Karen are fully dressed, and although Karen is not wearing her CPU robe, the underlying bodysuit is still on her person. The only bizarre thing to her at this current moment is that Kazuto was quickly retracting his hands from her shoulders though her mind is incapable of processing this at the current moment.

"Miyo? What are you doing here?" Karen asks as she stares at the confuddled girl, though the shock of seeing one of her friends carrying a handgun certainly spooked her a tiny bit.

"The question that needs to be asked is what the flying hell is going on here!" Miyo shouts as her usual logical mind is reeling and incapable of making a logical response right now.

"Er, isn't it a bit obvious Miyo? I'm giving Karen a massage since her body is stiff from her day-to-day work."

Kazuto's response however fell on deaf ears since her mind is still on the deep end which is best signified by how her hands are rapidly shaking and what follows suite is Karen deeply sighing as she extends her left arm and mutters something under her breath as a beam of light shoots out from it and it takes the handgun from her panicky hands.

"I hate using magic; it's such a burden with all those complicated incantations. I have no idea how mages can do it in this world." Karen lightly groans as she gently tossed the handgun after retrieving it from Miyo and afterwards, she pulls herself up from her bed and stretches her arms in a circular manner "I have to say, I wish I could make this my universal clothing set of my processor. As elegant as my robe is, in terms of practicality, this bare bodysuit is far more efficient despite my feelings about the design."

"I...I...I need response; explanation; exposition; reasoning! Need-" Miyo rapidly muttered as her mental state began to go insane from the fact she has gone days without sleep when her cybernetics finally shut down for good and when she reached her limit, she outright crashed and fell on her side.

"Poor Miyo. She must be exhausted after everything that's happened to her since Katsuo was put in the hospital." Karen responds seeing the exhausted girl fall to her side, and walks over to her to prop her on her back and moves her arms to connect around the front of her neck so she doesn't fall "We're going to have to reschedule Kazuto. I need to make sure she's okay first and you have to return to your squad right?"

"Yeah, I do. We're planning on assaulting the final gang alliance headquarters in two days' time. We're merely waiting on Tennouboshi since she said she's gathering more forces to aid us and at a time like this, we'll be thankful to have more generals. Well, I must be off. I need to help plan out the assault."

"Oh wait! Kazuto, before you go, could you pass on a message to the others for me?"

"Sure. What is the message?"

"While it'll take some time to officially implement it, my new oracle and I have come to a mutual decision to appoint a police force to protect this nation, and we have four leaders in mind. The four people who most desired to protect this land I have created: The black swordsman, the white knight, the archer of justice, and the mysterious benefactor who leads the strong. You likely know this refers to yourself, Katsuo, Mamoru, and Tennouboshi. I want you to inspire the people working alongside you to give their all to protect this nation and I'll find some way to spread the word across the city so people would flock to support the defensive forces this city is mobilizing."

"That'd be a huge relief if people truly know that we're enforcers of justice. I'll pass the word along. Oh, and one last thing: Garrus actually accompanied me part of the way here. He said he forgot to mention something important he encountered during his expedition with Filia. He's waiting for you to summon him."

"Garrus is? Send him in immediately." Karen mutters in mild surprise hearing her dignified Turian ally having a report since he had plenty of time to notify her of whatever was happening out in the field, but she quickly deduces it may be why she hasn't heard from Leonard and the others even though Filia, Garrus, and Wrex have heeded her summons since she asked them all to return. As she sees Kazuto exit the room, she rematerializes her robe over her bodysuit and walks to where her desk is to wait for the soldier to arrive.

To little surprise on her behalf, Garrus entered her office and to her mild surprise this time around, he crouched down to bow like a knight greeting his lord "I am honored to be in your presence Lady Aqua Heart." Despite his formal choice of words, his tone was far from it since Karen could hear the tiniest of chuckles escape from Garrus' voice though he was remarkably skilled at hiding it by keeping his head toward the ground.

"Oh can it. You're not suited for such stuffy formality 'Archangel'." Karen simply laughs off his attempt at formality and addresses Garrus by the nickname that was given to him back on Omega.

"Who told you that I used to be called Archangel?"

"Who do you think? Who is the one individual who came with you from your world?" Karen couldn't help but manically laugh at how oblivious Garrus seemed to be regarding who told her about Archangel.

"Dammit Wrex." Garrus groans in irritation before deeply sighing and gets up as he looks toward Karen "As for why I'm here, we actually encountered an unusual forest a few months away from the capital. Leonard and the others are staying behind to keep an eye on it."

"An unusual forest? I don't get it."

"Then allow me to explain. During our expedition, we've seen many wonders but the strangest was a forest completely shrouded in fog. Filia and I attempted to enter so we could map it, but we found ourselves back at the entrance with the others when we tried to enter. Leonard then told us he detected very strong magical energies throughout the forest."

"Erm...I fail to see the point of what you're trying to say here Garrus. Can you please be more articulate?"

"The magic is not passive. Someone created it rather recently, it's only a year or two old. Do you see what I'm saying now?"

"Indeed. Someone is in that forest."

"And picture what would happen if whoever is there turns their eyes on this city?"

"Ah shit; we're distracted enough fighting these gangs, we can't afford to fight off a spellcaster and who knows what else in a two-front war. Garrus, are Leonard and the others still there and do they still have an Astronema gate with them?" Karen was beyond irritated and nervous hearing that a powerful spellcaster is on the continent. Especially if the individual(s) decide to wreak havoc on her nation while it's still distracted by its infighting.

"They do Karen. They're waiting for your arrival."

"Very well. _There goes the idea of relaxing like Kai asked._" Karen deeply sighed knowing that she won't be able to relax like her new oracle suggested quite yet, but she keeps a calm face nonetheless "Garrus, I'll go investigate, but I need you to quickly return to Uzume's group. Build a team in case I need immediate back-up and regroup with Leonard's squad. Also, if I have to get out there immediately, I want you to take Miyo to her room so she can rest and then call for Bae'lin, ask her to watch over her until I return."

"Understood." Garrus quickly responds with a militaristic nod of confirmation as he takes Miyo from Karen, pulls out the teleport device connected to the Astronema system and extends it in her direction. When he sees Karen instantaneously vanish when she touched it, he then walks out of the office, installs the device in the wall across from Karen's office so anyone who needs to use it to teleport it to where Leonard and the others are, and quickly leaves to gather a group to help Karen if she requires it and to bring Miyo to her room so she can rest.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [14:30] April 21st 22XX

Location: [Arcadia - Outside Invictus Forest]

After Karen quickly used the teleport system, she found Eldin and the other members quickly forming ranks and Eldin is the one who approaches her.

"You're late." It was rather clear from his tone that although Eldin is supporting her, his loyalty is not total or he's just peeved that four days had passed since they found the forest.

"I apologize Eldin. But there were more important things in the city that demanded my attention and I couldn't afford to focus resources here until I learned the severity of the situation. Give me a report here."

"There's not much we can give Lady Aqua Heart. When Filia and Garrus went to investigate the forest, they were quickly forced out and found themselves in front of us. I then happened to notice magical energy in the vicinity so I investigated that myself. This application of magic is completely unmarked. Because we needed to give this place a name of any kind, Garrus named this place: Invictus. He said it came to mind from a planet controlled by the Turians called Invictus." Leonard explains very methodologically as he pulls out his staff, mutters an incantation inaudibly with a burst of magic erupting over a small space around the group and quickly afterward, the aura of magic quickly revealed to Karen, and like he said; it's completely unrecognizable considering the magic she has seen from magic users from the mainland or among Bae'lin's family.

"What do you mean by unmarked Leonard? How exactly can magic be marked?" Karen inquired since she has had little interaction with magic because of her mild distaste for complicated magic. It has largely been influenced by her time in Aincrad: staying idle for as long as spells with incantations require could easily get a person killed so she prefers actions with short to no cooldown or which would keep the individual active so he/she has a chance to dodge enemy attacks, though her distaste was shoved aside for practical reasons since Leonard insisted that a Goddess should be able to use any kind of magic and would act as her magic trainer since he's one of the best, and one of the few, magic users that lived among the four nations.

"In this world, magic always has some mark in either their incantation or the spell effect which helps distinguish where it came from. Planeptune, Lastation, Leanbox, and Lowee all have their own marks as they have their own unique attributes. But this type of magic is unknown to me; and it differs from the magic used by Bae'lin's family, Izumi, and Haruka but I know one thing: Several mages have worked together to create this natural barrier and several inhuman noises have been heard. Be careful Lady Aqua Heart."

"Noted. And I appreciate the concern Leonard. Now; stay alert of any changes; Garrus will be returning soon with a reinforcement team. If I haven't contacted you by the time they arrive, assume I am indisposed and unable to establish communication, so follow Garrus' commands." Karen states with a serious tone as she summons Benten's sheath, puts it around her waist and walks in the direction of the massive forest in front of her.

"Understood!" The quintet respond in unison to Karen's order, proudly saluting as they see her walk pass them.

* * *

She proceeds to walk and when she reaches the first tree of the forest, she can feel the magic directly blocking her path and to deal with the barrier, she swiftly draws Benten and slashes the barrier. To ensure that her path is clear, Karen activates her Sleuth skill as she walks in case there are far more traps in place to deter intruders since she doubts whoever is here would place all of their trust in a single barrier. And to further maintain her defensive capabilities, she is keeping her sword drawn as she slowly walks through the forest and her concerns were well-deserved when she hears a nearby bush rustle as a woman with long silky black hair and crimson red eyes wearing armor with a familiar japanese oriented style with blue and gold colors, with her midriff having minimal exposure, and elegant cloth underneath her armor and on her shoulders suddenly appears from within it, wielding a large sword with a thin, if nonexistent, pommel, a black grip with gray diamonds throughout it, a very intricate gold cross-guard, and a large silver blade with a blue color scheme on the edge with a very strange set of runes and to Karen's surprise, it appears to be a magical sword since she can see magic ooze out of it.

Immediately after revealing herself, she began combat with a very strong melee strike keeping Karen on the defensive, but to her confusion; this mysterious woman is not attempting to press the offensive and seems to be focusing on keeping her stationary.

"_Why is this woman not taking action? She has me at a disadvantage yet she is not striking against me. Her stance proves she is no amateur so she must have an agenda._" Karen asks herself as she tries to find a way to turn the situation around since she's slowly being overpowered, as strong as she is in CPU form, when she hears what sounds like someone pulling bow strings in the distance "_Archers!? So she's keeping me still so the archers can pick me off! Clever, but I'm not stupid enough to fall for that._" After realizing what the plan is, Karen hastily revises her plan to keep the swordsman busy and when she hears the arrows fired, she rapidly created a temporary projection of her sword in her free hand to slash all three arrows fired at her in half as it vanishes and she proudly smirked at the woman fighting her "Nice try, but my senses are among the most elite in this entire world." Karen mockingly states to her assailant as she kicks her to perform a backflip, sending her back a short distance, and dashes toward the archers but when she was about to strike, she immediately stops in her tracks when she sees that the leader of the trio is a young adult woman with blonde hair wearing green clothing in a style slightly similar to the swordsman she had just fled from "Huh? Vert?" Karen couldn't help but mutter this since this mysterious archer looks almost identical to the goddess she briefly became acquainted with during the conflict with ASIC two years prior but when her senses return, she takes off running westward knowing that she has an enemy after her whose skill is near identical to her swordsman mentor and knows that attempting to fight her while having to deal with archers would be insane. Especially when she has never managed to win a match against Filia once despite using her Hard Drive Divinity abilities which would normally make her near invulnerable; which only proves Filia's strength in battle and the fact many people refer to her as the strongest warrior in all of Gamindustri, only barely behind the Goddesses themselves.

"Serawi! Are you okay!?" The swordsman shouts as she dashes toward her and the two young Yuichi who are part of her group.

"I'm-I'm fine Yuela. But that woman called me Vert for some reason." The woman, whose name seems to be Serawi, shakes her head to clear her mind after saying this and looks in the direction where Karen ran off in "Shouldn't we continue pursuing her?"

"Not necessary. She ran in the direction of the lake. Consider that Suina's and Paraskevas' territory is in that area. No matter how skilled she may be, there is no way she can fight against those two. But if she were to defeat them somehow, by stroke of luck, we should return to Wil immediately and plan a counterattack with help from Gaptahl, Ragsmuena, and Melodiana. Let's go Serawi. Crayl, Crayanne, go find the others and tell them to slow her down; we cannot afford to underestimate that woman."

"Got it!" The Yuichi siblings shout in unison as they let their roots encase their whole bodies as they dive into the ground to spread out across the region to find their friends.

After fleeing the initial battle with Yuela, Serawi, Crayl, and Crayanne, Karen ran west to buy time for Garrus to rendezvous with the reinforcements she requested before leaving the capital but to ensure that they know her status and what they will be up against, she immediately attempts to contact Leonard and the others outside the forest

"Leonard! It's Karen. Garrus' suspicions were right. There are people in this forest and they're heavily armed and trained! Get everyone in here stat!" To her dismay, she could only hear static blocking her attempt to contact her allies, making her uneasy about how she cannot inform them of the danger since she laid out an emergency contingency in case she doesn't contact them "Dammit! I can't afford to go back if those four are still there. If they have this forest as well-defended as I fear, they'll likely have that way trapped." Karen mutters in anger as she runs toward a huge tree near her and takes a few moments to pant since she had been running a great deal "Dear goddess. I am out of shape after those two years of doing paperwork. Being a waitress is not exactly physically demanding either. Especially at Celestia. Wait...I smell water. Thank goddess."

Karen slowly walks toward where the smell of water is coming from and quickly finds a large lake and since she is winded from the running she has done, she walks toward it, stabs her sword in the ground close to her and cups her hand in the lake repeatedly as she takes drinks of water to rejuvenate herself but quickly realizes spears of water sprout out from the lake and take a firm grasp over her legs, keeping her from moving.

"Dammit! How many surprises are there in this damn forest?!" Karen shouts angrily as she tries to grab her sword, to no avail as another spear takes hold of her left arm which is preventing her from grabbing it.

"_**Karen, you can summon your sword at any moment remember?!**_" Caelus quickly responds to Karen's inability to move and grab her sword as she reminds her of the power she possesses as a goddess.

"_R-Right. It has been two years and I've forgotten._" Karen sheepishly responds in kind from the reminder of her power as a goddess as she calms her mind to summon her sword but the moment she does, a fourth spear emerges which covers her right arm and makes her drop her sword in response, keeping her completely paralyzed. Immediately after she is kept paralyzed, something begins to emerge from the lake and takes the form of a young looking girl made entirely of water wearing a japanese kimono and floral headband as she walks over toward Karen, and what catches her attention is how the spears of water are coming from her fingertips which she's arranging like a puppet master controlling a marionette.

"So you must be the one who is assaulting our home. Crayl-san warned me of you coming. Know that you have no chance of escaping my special water volley magic."

"Is that what you think? Even if I fled from an opponent whose skill resembled that of my mentor's, I am far from helpless." Karen smirks as she closes her eyes to focus on a special magic spell designed during a time she was deeply bored during a shift at Celestia and when she finishes the incantation, Benten begins to float as it rapidly flies and rotates to slice and dice the spears to free herself, shocking the girl, and she then grips the sword with both of her hands "Now, I am not going to let my dignity as a Console Patron Unit be tarnished by a single girl. Prepare to face retribution for your actions."

Karen engages the power of her processor unit to hover in the air as she dashes toward the water spirit but she immediately dove back into the water when Karen got close, making Karen overshoot her planned position and finds herself in the center of the lake

"That girl was a water spirit? Then I...oh no!" Karen mutters before realizing that she has thrown herself into her home field territory where she has the unbridled advantage. However, what did happen was far from what she anticipated as a massive fin-like hand reached up and grabbed her leg as a massive sea creature began to rise up from the lake, with it utterly horrifying Karen as she takes a long look at it "Oh goddess! That is-!" Karen however was unable to finish her sentence as the creature began repeatedly slamming her against the ground around the lake, with each slam being worse than the last, with her face becoming outright bloodied and her entire body extremely battered by the time the creature stopped and released her on the ground after nearly ten slams, her CPU robe outright torn to pieces which heavily expose the underlying body suit which is the core of her Processor Unit's visual effect "Goddess...I can't…" Karen weakly mutters in extreme pain as she coughs up a small pool of blood every time she tried to talk but she quickly hears the creature grab something and begin to swing whatever it is. To her extreme reluctance, she is able to turn her head very slightly to see the creature swinging a massive hammer in her direction in an uppercut manner and within seconds, it makes direct contact with her back, making her completely wide-eyed as she sees herself get hit and is immediately sent flying and crashes through several trees before falling to the ground and losing consciousness.

* * *

After Paraskevas slammed Karen with his hammer which sent her flying and knocked her unconscious, the nearby spectators: Melodiana, Elizasleyn, Aht, and Uya approached her comatose body.

"Are, are~. Paraskevas truly does not know how to hold back his attacks. I actually think this woman is dead. Uya, please check for us since your sense of smell is better than ours." Elizasleyn sneers rather amusedly as she inspects Karen's heavily battered body and the various blood stains on her person.

"Lady Elizasleyn, please don't say such things. Even if this woman is alive or dead, I cannot help but dread that she has allies elsewhere who will avenge her defeat here. As strong as we all are, we cannot afford to fight a drawn-out battle, not when our supply gathering capability is already strained." Melodiana responds to curb Elizasleyn's desire for conflict when their ability to survive is unstable as it is and full-scale battle would force everyone in their group to fight and no one would be available to gather food and water, which would weaken them all within days.

"**The Archangel makes an excellent point Angel of Virtue. We have been confined to this forest and its limited surroundings for nearly two years and even to this day, we barely reach our daily quotas in food gathering. If we get drawn into severe battle, we will fail to meet them and starvation will quickly plague us. Also, I can sense a very faint pulse. She may be on the verge of death, but she is alive.**" Uya retorts very gravely via his telepathy powers, which come from the fact he is a Saerav fox, as he is supporting Melodiana's concerns about others who would come to enact justice "**And I should not have to mention the group of eight who have been prowling the perimeter. The fact three of them were capable of instantaneous transportation means such a thing exists in this world. If they are able to bring a massive army, we will have no choice but to surrender or else some, if not all if we are unlucky, of our number will likely be extinguished.**"

"I doubt things would get that bad, but I see your fears nonetheless. Regardless of this, I must say: my goodness, she _is_ a tough little creature. I can't think of anyone who could survive getting slammed to the ground repeatedly by him _and_ getting struck by his hammer. Not even Wil could do such a thing."

"Mmm...Aht doesn't get it. If people come to hurt us, Aht will fight them off. Aht will protect goshuujinsama, Yuela, Emelita, Serawi, and everyone else."

"Aht dear, as much as I don't care if this woman's allies bring an army or what, you can't fight them off by yourself. Don't you remind what Wil has said to us all before the final battle? Our true strength comes from the unity we have as a team." Elizasleyn chuckles rather amusedly as she gently scolds Aht and rustles her hand through her hair.

"Uya, if you're sure that this woman is still alive, we should quickly treat her injuries and then perhaps find some way to coerce her into recalling any efforts to lead forces to cull us. Even if we have this forest completely mapped and defended in sections; eventually, we will meet our match and pay the price." Melodiana speaks up as she crouches to pick up Karen's body and walks in the direction of the hamlet they have built for residential purposes.

* * *

After an unknown amount of time passed, she quickly found herself in the same pure dark void she was in when she first fought CFW Judge in the Gamindustri Graveyard and quickly senses Caelus walking in her direction, whom actually possesses a physical form this time round, though it's nothing more than a bright silhouette.

"I presume you're here to ridicule me again for my recklessness Caelus?" Karen inquires with a rather reticent tone as she looks down in despair.

"_**Not this time. These series of events were just unpredictable since we didn't know anything beyond a powerful spellcaster being here. We had no knowledge of what to expect this time around. It's not like what happened with the Guardragon.**_" Although Caelus obviously meant well, she had intentionally brought up a sour memory to Karen which was obvious by how deeply she sighed at the mention of it.

"You're never going to let me live that down, will you?" Karen sighs with heavy discontent as she looks toward Caelus again "Caelus, how bad is my body out there? I can only imagine it's dying since I'm in this dark void yet again."

"_**You're in bad shape, no question. Of course, considering that huge creature slammed you against the ground very strongly repeatedly and then sent you flying with his equally massive hammer which made you crash against three trees, it's to expected. If I may be frank, if you suffered this level of injury back when you were a pure-bred human, you would be dead for good. Not even I would've been able to save you. The only reason you're still drawing breath is because you are a Console Patron Unit with a healthy supply of Share energy flowing your veins which is significantly enhancing your own life force, but I feel someone using healing magic. Several someones actually.**_"

"Is it Leonard...wait, he doesn't know any healing magic; he focused on offensive magic. Then, who's healing me? Haruka? Izumi?"

"_**No, oddly, now that I can see, it's the two blonde elf like girls who first attacked you. I can also sense a large group of people in the nearby vicinity. None of their auras have association with the Console Patron Units however. My guess is that they're part of the group who reside in this forest.**_"

"They're healing me? After trying to kill me? I don't get their logic here."

"_**I have long since given up trying to judge the constantly shifting logic of regular humans Karen. While it's common for many ideals to intersect and exist in many people, their interpretations are near numberless and that is too much for me. It is why I kept the number of people I associated with as a goddess small. Histoire, Uzume, Eris, Corrine, and Manila were all the company I truly needed back then. My oracle and my younger sisters. But listen, once again, this is not your time to die, so return to the land of the living.**_" Caelus explains as she gives a brief more history about her past before she walks behind Karen and pushes her toward the voices that can be heard in the distance and the darkness around her begins to become more and more illuminated and the voices become ever louder.

After Karen began walking toward the voices in the distance, they become louder and easier to understand, with one sentence interesting her the most

"Wil, her eyes are beginning to flicker! She's regaining consciousness!"

"She's not ready yet Serawi. If she awakens in this condition, she'll end up in even worse straits. Put her to sleep Crayanne!"

"I'm trying Wil! But her body is quickly starting to reject my magic! None of my healing is working either!"

"_Caelus?_"

"_**It's a safety precaution Hard Drive Divinity possesses. If the user suffers extreme levels of injury, and as long as the goddess has plenty of share energy flowing through her veins, it activates a special energy field that cancels out all magic and provides a source of energy to buy time for the individual to flee and recover her strength. Funny thing though: It only works in goddess form, so if you were in human form right then, you wouldn't have made it. The one exception is magic casted by another Goddess or Goddess Candidate as their magic can easily penetrate that barrier. It was designed in a time when we goddesses were full-fledged allies and sworn to aid each other when danger struck. Based on what I witnessed in Leanbox when Chika made your new unit, the feature was either too deeply ingrained with the power of HDD to remove without completely rewriting the power of the Goddesses entirely or the benefit was too beneficial to remove. Either way, for such a...unique individual as she was, she is talented to create such a powerful processor unit within days. But seriously Karen, get your rear end moving and return to reality.**_"

Karen simply nods as she continues walking and quickly finds herself back in her body's normal senses but a surge of pain courses through her body immediately afterward as she sees several people rushing frantically around the area with a man with short blonde hair kept in a ponytail giving orders to several people there, but to maintain the illusion that she's still relatively comatose, she's keeping her eyes half closed so she can what's going on.

"Uya, Kohakuren, I want you two to return to the forest and keep the new invaders distracted! Keep them going in circles." This was quickly followed by a fox and a female fox like human quickly dashing out of the house "Crayanne, go find Roka, Lyphia, and Evelyn and seal off the eastern passages so we can channel the invaders into our defenses." The young Yuichi rapidly nodded as she dove into the ground to find the trio specified by Wil "Yuela, go find Sharty, Ragsmuena, and Gaptahl. We need to establish a stronger perimeter around this settlement." Yuela simply nods though she stared at Karen for a moment.

"Wil, I would exercise caution with this woman. She was able to maintain her strength against me and was able to sense Serawi, Crayl, and Crayanne's attacks. She's not your average fighter."

"Relax Yuela. Just look at her: She can barely move a bone in her body right now so she's no threat. But please, get moving; if these new intruders get too far deep in the forest, we won't be able to repel them."

"Understood." Yuela grimly retorts as she draws her sword and dashes out of the house.

Moments later, a woman who is basically the clean-cut image of a shinigami wearing a robe that's barely concealing the body underneath suddenly materializes in the room.

"Perfect timing Ragsmuena...wait, what happened? I thought you were with Gaptahl."

"Gaptahl has been forced to retreat to the mountain hidden underneath our barrier which conceals it with our forest illusion."

"Wha-_Gaptahl_ was forced to retreat?! How many people fought him?!" Wil was utterly horrified hearing that Gaptahl, one of their strongest fighters and a huge dragon at nearly six meters, was forced to retreat from the battle he was involved in.

"One. There is a single swordsman whose strength appears to be unparalleled. She struck off on her own after explaining three teams would be formed. She herself is a single team and the others divided into the other two groups. They are proceeding through different routes, but they all lead here." After explaining the situation, Ragsmuena vanished as abruptly as she appeared.

"_Hehe, just like Filia. She must've been pissed since she hardly got to fight for quite a while. She's almost as bad as Wrex when it comes to her blood rage._" Karen couldn't help but silently laugh at how Filia seems to be tearing this group apart from the seams with no help from anyone else.

"Damn, it seems like we're truly in over our heads this time round. We can't afford to fight a three-front battle." Wil deeply sighs in irritation knowing that his friends are frantically attempting to defeat what seems to be a far more experienced force.

"What do we do Wil?" Serawi worriedly inquired since she could easily see that Wil's becoming more frantic by the second, though she obviously did her utmost to hide her own anxiety because she sensed his own anxiety and because of her position as the big sister figure of this large group, she is often the one who the younger girls go to when they are made upset over whatever plagues their minds at the time.

"I think the only thing we can do is find some way to ransom this woman back to the intruders in the forest. Tell them that we'll release her to their custody if they agree to leave us alone."

"Yeeeah...not going to happen. No one ransoms me off for any cause! _No one!_" Karen slightly chuckled at their belief that ransoming her off would help them as she picks herself up, though the fact she has her sword drawn and pointed toward Wil shows her distaste for what she has heard. She normally would've taken action the moment she regained consciousness but stopped for several reasons: The first being she wished to wait for the more dangerous melee fighters to leave so the risk factor would be lessened, the second being that she desired to wait until some of her more severe injuries were treated so she could act without too much pain burdening her, and the third was that she wanted to gather more information about the people who reside in this forest.

"Wil!" Serawi exclaims in shock as Wil draws his hammer and Serawi and Crayl draw their bows to prepare for any possible hostile intent.

"I've been listening to your conversations while I was laying low to lick my wounds; so allow me to make a counteroffer: Surrender and lay down all of your weapons, and your lives will be spared. I have no desire to shed blood, especially when you have tried to heal my wounds. For that you have my gratitude. Considering that we are the invaders invading your home, we are in the wrong, but unless intervention is made through my guidance, my elite followers will assume full hostility. That is one thing I wish to avoid as much as possible. However, at this time, I am unable to contact my men because of the magic here so I cannot order them to stand down until it is completely gone." Karen elaborates, and she is fully aware that she is practically forcing her diplomacy under duress since her friends are sieging this area and has driven the local inhabitants into mild fear. Despite that, she is not fazed by it since she knows that sometimes diplomacy can only be done when one side possesses overwhelming odds, and she has some of the most highly trained individuals in all Gamindustri supporting her as her edge.

"I do not desire to see blood shed as much as you do. If you swear that our lives will be spared, we'll surrender. I need to think of the children here that need our protection."

"_Chi-Children?!_" Karen shouts in mild panic in her mind when she happens to see a young girl who only looks around nine with blue hair and eyes peek out from a nearby corner, and she immediately goes wide-eyed seeing the girl "_Oh my god! He's telling the truth! And I was actually contemplating full-on confrontation!_" Karen utterly shouted at the absolute limit internal monologue would allow as her mind is quickly picturing the bloodshed that could have occurred if the worst case scenario occurred, with her quietly sheathing her sword "Since I will need to remain here to parley, I will need one of you to tell my allies to stand down. Pass this message to them and they should stand down: I, Lady Aqua Heart, leader of the nation of Arcadia, hereby orders all termination of combat protocol."

"I sincerely hope these guys follow through with this. I don't want to die after all." Crayl weakly mutters as he dives into the ground leaving Karen, Wil, Serawi, and whoever else is in the building's other rooms.

"Serawi, I'd like you to find Emelita. She's supposed to be watching over all the children here, yet Tina found herself out of her watch. So I want to know what happened."

"As you wish. I'd like to know myself." Serawi nods in acknowledgement as she sheathes her bow and walks out of the room to find Emelita.

"It'll take some time for Crayl to deliver your message to your soldiers, so I need you to stay here. Oh, and I need your sword too."

"Sorry to say, but that's something of an impossibility. This sword is magically enchanted so no one can attempt to steal her from me. But for the sake of parleying, I'll put the sheath in a far corner." Even if it was a foolish move, Karen acquiesced to the desire for minimal conflict as she gets up to the far corner and props her sword sheath on a mount, returns to where she was prior and sits down in a lotus stance, facing Wil "Now, I should explain why I have come here. My allies informed me that they detected strong magic in this area so I was asked to investigate. Considering that I took the precaution to arrive armed since I was delving into unknown territory, I was attacked rather quickly by those three women that were here in addition to one male elf, a water spirit girl, and some massive creature hiding in the lake. Fighting is something I wanted to avoid since I need to keep my focus on something truly endangering my city instead of possibilities. But I must admit...your allies are incredibly well-trained and powerful." Karen articulates rather eloquently, making her low desire to fight a new force when she is already burdened securing her borders very clear, but she was incredibly impressed seeing the strong cohesion of the fighters here and how well they seem to have the region mapped.

"Just like yourself, we merely wish to live in peace and find a way back to Yuidora, even though it's been two years since we found ourselves here."

"_So they're not native to this world, just like a lot of others._" Karen weakly mutters since this all but confirmed them not being from this world because of one major fact: Bae'lin's family still had their barrier over this continent two years ago, so this group couldn't have gotten onto the mainland any other way but them ending up in Gamindustri from a whole other world "As a well-wisher, I wish to inquire: Have you been able to keep everyone here well-fed and safe from monsters?"

"Safety has never been a problem for us: Gaptahl, Ragsmuena, Kohakuren, Paraskevas, and Leguna's golems have been working as our long-range perimeter guards and everyone else, save Emelita, myself, and the children, work as short-range fighters and handle the actual fighting. But food is a constant challenge; we rely extensively on Emelita's and Phinilly's magic to substantially enrich the soil so harvests could be done near daily and they also maintain the barrier around this forest to keep people away. As you could possibly imagine, it has been a challenge for them to maintain such magic for nearly two years now. But as the leader of this group, I need to keep everyone safe as best as I possibly can."

"Oh I understand that challenge very well. But you have it easy, it appears you only have to look after around two dozen people, give or take; I have to do the same with hundreds of thousands already. Hmm...I wish to offer a proposition to you…I actually don't know your name beyond 'Wil'."

"Ah right. My name is Wilfred Dion; Lord of Yuidora and Grand Meister ranked Alchemist. May I ask for your name?" Wilfred, as Karen now learned the full name of, quickly rummages through his bag, as if searching for something "There must be at least one left that I keep for absolute emergencies." After a minute passes, he lets out a simple 'Yes!' and pulls out a small yellow bottle with two wing ornaments near the top, and passes it to Karen "Considering the injuries Paraskevas has done to you, I want to make sure you're in top shape. So drink this."

Karen accepts the bottle but simply stares at it as she uncorks the lid and notices a pure chrome silver liquid within it. She then looks up toward Wilfred "What exactly is this Wilfred? After a certain incident a few months ago, I am hesitant to drink strange beverages."

"It's a medicinal potion made in Yuidora. We call it the Breath of Elyun. It's the absolute strongest in terms of efficiency and it's guaranteed that if there is life in a person, this will restore it. Though as you can imagine, it does have limits. But I guarantee: drinking it would fully treat your injuries."

Karen mentally shrugs and drinks the Elyun potion but as soon as she began to drink it, she stopped since the taste was incredibly bitter but not as bad as the drink that Bae'lin had made prior before her taste altering magic was applied but like Wil had said, she could quickly feel her body regenerating as she continued drinking the potion and she felt the magic barrier of her CPU power dissipate since it was no longer needed to maintain her life.

"You have my gratitude Wilfred Dion. As I was saying; I have a proposition for you and your group. I find myself in a situation where I need as many talented fighters as possible to fully instill order in my nation's capital. If you can provide me with your best and help me fight, I'll shelter the children you have here and ensure you and everyone else are well-fed."

"I don't know. This seems a little too convenient, and forgive me for saying this, but I'm not exactly sure if I can trust you."

"Not surprising. I'd probably say the same in your shoes, but look, we're all in the same boat here. We've both been stranded here in this world for years. If that promise of aid doesn't sway you, this one surely will: If you agree to join forces with me, I will get you back to your world."

"You know how to get us all back to Yuidora?" Wil's tone was rather hopeful since he had been far away from home for a long time and was longing to return, just like the others in his group: Yuela wished to return to Disnafrody, Serawi wished to visit Reyshiamael's chief, and so on and because of how Karen knows she doesn't truly have a way out of Gamindustri, _yet_, she is rather hesitant to answer but knows that silence will only hurt her.

"Well...yes and no. We were able to actually complete this process once, but the machine exploded, the veil was drastically strengthened, and worse: One of my friends from my world was taken when we sent one of my companions who accompanied me to this world. However, I am forming alliances with skilled engineers to build a more advanced device to accomplish this task and this is a project where I need as many diverse skillsets as possible to join together to construct it. Join forces with me and I'll halt all of your biological clocks to stop you all from aging so no one will be the wiser in explaining age differences. That is my solemn pledge as Console Patron Unit Aqua Heart, leader of Arcadia."

"Mmm...I need time to think about it, and I need to consult my friends as well. As much as I lead them, they are their own individuals who follow for their own reasons so I refuse to force them to work with a foreign power."

"I understand. I have little desire to subjugate foreign powers under one banner. Arcadia just isn't meant to possess that type of power; we were never meant to rally under one single doctrine. Our strength comes from individual might and diverse policies. We are unpredictable. That is our strength despite our low numbers. We focus extensively on science and magic to remedy it: If we were meant to be small, we will make our creations surpass all others. That will be our edge against the large nations of Gamindustri." Karen desired to make it perfectly known that she is not a conqueror and prefers to bring foreign powers, when encountered and when she wants to do so, into her nation diplomatically to ensure that their unique background is not absorbed into Arcadia's own culture, but instead added to the near limitless number of cultures already in the nation. In addition to thinking of her own nation's development, she is also reflecting on the combat strength of Yuela, Serawi, Crayl, Crayanne, Suina, and Paraskevas. Yuela was nearly as strong as Filia and Karen was barely able to fight her off, although she was able to stop their attack, Serawi, Crayl, and Crayanne were able to stay hidden and fire a barrage of arrows that would have easily felled lesser trained warriors, and Suina and Paraskevas were able to catch her off-guard and inflict severe wounds to her. And then there are the others she has seen wandering about.

"While I don't fully get what you're trying to talk about, I am thankful you understand my situation at least. I'll speak with them when they return and see what they think of a non-aggression pact."

* * *

Moments after this, the sounds of swords clashing suddenly ring out as Yuela unexpectedly is flung into the room, landing on her back and Filia dashes right afterward, wielding her durandal sword with her left arm, which surprises Karen a tad bit since Filia's right handed but notices that she is keeping that arm hidden as she can recognize scorch marks; which would suggest that she got injured against whoever Gaptahl is.

"_She was able to defeat an opponent at her level with her off-hand? Damn, how skilled is this woman?! Is she STILL holding back or did she actually go all-out this time? If it's the former, I wonder if she'd even be able to take down the CPUs in battle._" After this monologue in her mind, Karen swiftly summoned Benten's sheath and drew her to block Filia's attack to protect Yuela and force Filia into a stand-still until she can get her planned message out "Stand down Filia! We are committing our resources into forming a non-aggression pact! Put down your sword!"

After seeing Karen still alive and jumping to action, she swiftly followed Karen's order and sheathed her weapon

"I actually thought you were killed considering the strength of the forces here Lady Aqua Heart. You are the most frail of the Console Patron Units after all." Karen was utterly petrified hearing Filia run her mouth yet again about her flaws even though she had very good reason for her combat skills degrading considering all of the political paperwork and her waitress job she has done over the last two years.

"Do you always smart mouth your leaders Filia?" Karen groans as she sheaths her own sword and then fires a glare at the skilled swordswoman.

"Only you. Since you're a newbie CPU."

"And this is why I don't give you leadership roles anymore. That and the fact you are a loose cannon and generally incompetent beyond the most elite of forces."

"Oh boo hoo, you hurt my feelings Lady Aqua Heart. How will I ever recover from this grievous wound?" The fact Filia had the absolute biggest smirk on her face as she nonchalantly, yet played up the fake drama factor, said this shows that she does not give a damn about the insult.

"You really are a- Nope. Nope. I am not going to stoop to that level. I won't give you the satisfaction of seeing me get mad." Karen was relatively peeved at Filia's response and nearly used rather aggressive language, but firmly shaked her head to calm herself down knowing that she's trying to bait her into this and won't play her game.

"How disappointing. I thought this would get a rise out of you."

"Enough of this. Where are the others who came with you?"

"Not entirely sure. All I know is that Garrus' team were stuck fighting some wolf, a mud girl, a fairy, and an angel apparently singing an utterly rancid song."

"That last girl must have been Elizasleyn. Don't let her hear that part; she'd either tear you apart or take control of your body." Wil chirps in while he was taking care of Yuela's injuries as he heard Filia talking about the group Garrus' team are fighting against.

"Yeeeah, I'm not afraid of a girl like that. I fought off a dragon single handed using my off-hand. And not one of those tiny five to six feet ones, this one was nearly six meters. After that, nothing can scare me."

"So Ragsmuena was right; you fought off Gaptahl, one of our strongest members."

"I'll give credit where it's due when I say he was tough. He got one good attack on me and scorched my arm with his thunder breath. But his mistake was surrendering his aerial advantage to fight me on the ground since he assumed I was defenseless. But as you can imagine by how I fought off this woman here, I am still able to fight off any opponent, even when my main arm is incapacitated."

"Filia...if you're this strong, why did you bother helping ASIC when the Guardragon was plaguing the mainland? Why didn't you go after the monster itself?"

"Cause I'm not an idiot. My father was _twice_ the fighter I am now and he got beaten, so take that into perspective. In situations like that, I'm obviously going to support whoever holds the most powerful guns or the most number of guns, and ASIC had a giant freaking bomb dedicated to taking the beast down. I supported them that one time to ensure we all didn't die out. But my rage has subsided; go discuss this non-aggression pact. We need to return our focus to the capital immediately."

"I understand." Karen firmly nods as she hands her sword sheath to Yuela to resume her parley with Wilfred regarding the peace talks, especially before too many people get injured and the upcoming operation to take down the gangs for good is impeded "Now, as I was saying before, I want to cease the hostile activity here immediately. It is diverting resources my allies desperately need right now. But after thinking things over when I witnessed the strength of the people here, in addition to your plight, I wish to extend an offer: If you agree to join forces with my nation, I will share all of the resources my nation possesses: Food, water, shelter, anything you could possibly need; I will provide it. And all I ask is this: Leave this forest and aid my fight to secure order."

"Yuela, what do you think?" Wilfred inquires as he shifts his head to the female swordswoman.

"Her offer is extremely tempting Wil. You know we have been struggling to keep everyone fed ever since we have arrived in this place two years ago. We possess no shred of sovereignty in this land, and if it means we would be protected and have our needs taken care of, it would be preferable to submit to a stronger force than to resist. Before we come to a decision however, we should consult Serawi, Emelita, and Leguna for their opinions. The five of us are the unofficial leaders after all, and if a consensus is made between us, the others would follow suite because of their respect for us. And if the only price is to assist in a battle for order, it is an offer we should take."

"Indeed, but where is Leguna actually? I haven't seen him in a few days."

"He's in the alchemist workshop attempting to recreate golem technology. He wants to gradually replace us all with his golems for our security patrols so we could focus on food gathering."

"Just like Leguna to lock himself up in the workshop to satisfy his ego. Yuela, please drag him out here so we can get a consensus formed."

"Understood." Yuela responds with an emotionless tone and bow of acknowledgement as she gets up from her stance, returns Karen's sword as she passes, and leaves the building to go get Leguna.

"Now, Wilfred, regarding the subject of lending aid to my fight; I want to know who you have in your ranks since I can only bring along human-sized fighters right now. No one massive."

"Please, just call me Wil. Wilfred's too much of a mouthful for me. And I hope you realize that your condition in this only removes two members out of over twenty, including myself. Gaptahl and Paraskevas are the only giants in my ranks."

"Very well Wil-Wait, did you say twenty? Jesus, I've fought six individuals who nearly caused my own death and now I find that was only a fourth of your full might? As strong as I am, I am genuinely shaking in my boots right now." Karen mumbles as she realizes how deeply screwed she could've been if her fight against Wil's group escalated exponentially. If she hadn't been in goddess form when she entered this forest, she would've been killed with no question like Caelus had said not long ago. The revelation of this leads her to try diverting her attention with something she heard from Wil "Wait, you mentioned something about alchemy. I wish to ask you something: How advanced is your alchemy?" Karen inquired as she recalls what Gust was capable back in the World Maze and Gust has mentioned off-hand that she's a rather low level alchemist, so she could only ponder what talented alchemists could do with the necessary supplies and training.

"While our alchemy is always improving through the combination of ingenuity and education, I have made copies of all our current alchemical recipes since I had been planning to trade with the alchemists of Disnafrody so we could bolster our knowledge. Leguna and I have managed to achieve low levels of transmutation during the two years we've been here but our capabilities are limited since we had to focus extensively on food before all else."

"Transmutation? Fascinating, I'd like to know how much you can-" Karen was genuinely pleased to hear that Wil and this Leguna were capable of converting raw materials into other substances since that could genuinely help her nation grow and manufacture raw goods, but she was interrupted by the sound of chains breaking out from the ground and quickly restrain her to her stomach, with Filia jumping up to her feet outright out of surprise seeing the chains break out from the ground "Oh come on! Seriously?! I have seen more chains in only two to three years than most people do in their entire lives! If ever! What the hell is this?! Some kind of sick masochist game?!" Karen shouts with extreme acrimony since she is genuinely pissed about experiencing actions restricting movement either directly or firsthand. She does her best to twist her head upward toward Wil even though her body's completely bound by these chains "Please, for the love of the goddesses, get me out of this!" Karen whines very profusely, not wanting to be restrained yet again since she was annoyed enough being kept bound by Suina's water spears not too long ago.

"What the hell?! What is- Wait, I know who did this. Mylen, let her go! She's our guest!" Wil jumped up like Filia but when he took a moment to think about who did this, the perpetrator was easy to deduce since only one person among them is this kind of prankster.

After Wil called out for this Mylen, a girl with long spiky purple hair and green eyes, wearing a jester's outfit, materializes in a way similar to Ragsmuena which signifies that she is a spirit like the shinigami who departed not long ago.

"You're no fun Wil. Besides, are you seriously going to question my desire to combine my duty to protect this home of ours and my own pleasure of tormenting a new face who foolishly let her guard down?" Mylen sneers happily as her eyes widen in a very twisted manner as she stares at Karen being restrained by her specially made chains that were designed to be strong enough to restrain Gaptahl during a time when they were all invited to join the Crusaders of Light from Marsterria for training (with Gaptahl bringing them all there in a timely manner) out of a gesture of goodwill because of how Wil helped them all secure one of their special artifacts from the Dark Elves near the place known simply as Shipwreck Coast. The training sessions were very diverse considering the strength of the Crusaders and the party that was invited since they all had their own unique combat styles with very little common overlap.

"Mylen, I will not repeat myself. Let her go or I will have to have Kohakuren and Ragsmuena punish you again."

"Fine. Fine." Mylen pouts as she snaps her fingers and the chains disintegrate as she does it. Even though she's rather masochistic, she has little desire to get punished by those two since Kohakuren is rather fond of burning her opponents and Ragsmuena drains life from her enemies which even she finds uncomfortable to deal with.

"Thank you. This was just plain uncomfortable and truth be told, I truly want to get out of this place as soon as I possibly can. I want to relax as much as I can."

"Don't worry. As soon as Serawi, Emelita, Yuela, and Leguna get here, we'll start discussing a non-aggression pact."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [19:00] April 21st 22XX

Location: [Invictus Forest - Alchemist Settlement]

After Yuela returned dragging Leguna by his collar, and Serawi returned to the room with a young looking girl with pink hair and blue eyes, joined by four of Karen's own colleagues: Garrus, Filia, Leonard, and Uzume's representative: CyberConnect2 in the reinforcement team comprising of herself, MAGES. and Ein Al; everyone else being in a different area of the village under guard by Wil's team so the peace talks could be done without incident.

"Okay, let's try to get introductions out of the way while we're here. While you know my name already, but for the newcomers, I should give it." After this was said, Wil began motioning his hands as he introduced his colleagues "My name is Wilfred Dion, but I prefer to be called Wil. This is Yuela. Millieda Ell Zilterry, or as she prefers: Emelita. Servalwi Endoss, or as she prefers: Serawi. And lastly, this is Krove Zilterry, or as I like to call him: Leguna Ashys, since that was the name he has used most of his life."

"My Divine Name is Console Patron Unit Aqua Heart, but my 'Birth' name is Karen Koizumi. This is Garrus Vakarian, Filia Yuasa, Leonard Anami, and CyberConnect2."

"So you want to form a nonaggression pact with us in exchange for our might to end the infighting within your capital. Am I correct?"

"That's putting it rather simply, Leguna; but yes. But let me be frank: I do not want hostilities brewing out here since I need all of my people focused in my capital. At worst, I want an agreement that we'll stay out of each other's business. But after seeing what is going on here, I wish to extend as much aid to you all as much as I can. However, the chains of leading an entire country does force me to act with some malice since I need to think of their well being above all else. So my offer of assistance will require you to aid me in battle and provide your alchemy to my nation afterwards, but you will be provided with whatever you will need, within reason. Back when I was a more casual tactician and leader, I wouldn't have resorted to such underhanded measures. But the number of people I have to protect is rapidly nearing a million and I'll do nearly anything to protect them to the utmost best of my ability."

"I understand the burden you are well, burdened with. I rule a nation myself and it is not easy dealing with all the politics. While I don't agree with your unscrupulous methods, I can atleast sympathize." Wil simply mutters his thoughts on Karen's rather abrasive stance on her style of politics as he pulls out an orange colored cube and puts it on the table. When Wil, Yuela, Serawi, Emelita, and Leguna touch it, beams of light touch their foreheads and begin inaudibly talking to the confusion of Karen's entourage since they have no idea what they are saying since their vocal chords seem to be paralyzed with this device active.

* * *

After some time passed, Wil deactivated the device and looked toward Karen "We've come to a decision. Based on what you are offering us, we must admit: It would be foolish of us to decline since we have been struggling to make ends meet these two years. Our decision is unanimous as long as you carry through with your promise of providing your own aid to our group here. Since I need to keep some of my friends here to watch over the children, I can't bring our full might to help you. Before I begin my own considerations in the subject, may I ask what the field of battle will be?"

"I'm...not certain. If I had to hazard a guess, it'd be within an enclosed space. Based on what I've been informed of, the enemy I face has several human sized war machines made of steel alloy in their arsenal."

"So archers won't do that much good in your fight. Erm...I'm not sure if anyone I have in our ranks would be too much help in such a fight."

"Please don't worry about such things Wil. I have several mage allies who can enchant your weapons to deal with them. I just want to get as many people as possible since this last enemy will be rather entrenched and I need to bolster the numbers of the faction I've allied myself with. Her forces are some of my country's strongest but they lack the numbers to do any significant Ops so they had to rely on my friends for numbers. While the leaders of that faction are strong, their members are meager in terms of combat strength."

"I see. I can confidently say that we're all experienced, especially with the training we received from the Crusaders of Light. Based on what you have said, I'll bring myself, Yuela, Emelita, Aht, Suina, Melodiana, Uya, Kohakuren, Elizasleyn, Ragsmuena, Leguna and his golem, Lyphia, and Roka to help in your battle. Serawi, Crayl, Crayanne, Sharty, Paraskevas, Gaptahl, Phinilly, Hannah, Mylen, and Evelyn will be staying behind to watch over the children here and protect our borders."

"I understand. Do you have to make any preparations? Ideally, we'll want to depart tomorrow to execute the final battle."

"Tomorrow? We'd need to inspect our weapons and armor, among other things. Also, how exactly do we make it to your capital?"

"We can take the Astronema gate that is connected to my Basilicom to join our comrades. Garrus and Cybercon; get that gate installed in here, bring everyone here and return to Tennouboshi to prepare for the final battle. Leonard, Filia, I want you to stay and determine the strength of the people coming with us before we have to leave; you're my chief warrior and magus after all."

"Understood!" Both Filia and Leonard shouted this as the quartet began to walk away though Karen stops Filia before she has a chance to leave.

"Wait a moment Filia." Karen grimly orders to the armored warrior in her employ since she still has one thing to say to her though she purposely sent Leonard a glance telling him to leave since she doesn't want him overhearing what she is going to say in case the former SMD members are more loyal to Filia than to her.

"What is it?"

"When we return to the Basilicom tomorrow, I have some choice words for you considering your recent actions. Until then, you are free to do what you wish, but keep everyone unharmed. Got it?"

After hearing what Karen said to her, Filia's expression turned incredibly sour and shot her a vicious gaze, which barely held any loyalty to her CPU "Understood." The tone Filia said this was oozing with venom as she walked away, making Karen shiver in fear.

"_Uuu...I may have truly screwed up on this one. I may have just pissed off a woman who could actually kill me. If they go rogue on me, I'll need to replace what I consider to be my royal guard from those six to this group. That or I could ask Garrus to form one for me; he has an eye for talented fighters. And his people are disciplined so he would likely recruit people who match his standards._" Karen muttered this in her mind as she ponders the possibility of some of her followers going rogue and the need to replace them if that becomes necessary.

"Is she going to be a problem Aqua Heart?" Yuela somberly inquires as she saw Filia walk off rather angrily.

"I pray to the goddess that this stays inert. I have very little desire to make one of the strongest warriors in all Gamindustri my enemy. Especially when I've never been able to defeat her."

"I normally wouldn't say this, but I am also fearful of her strength. Especially when she was able to defeat me with her off-hand. But how is she so powerful? Her strength is inhuman."

"Now that you mention it, I don't really know. All I really know is that she's unparalleled with a sword."

"If I can interrupt, I think I may have an answer for that. I was able to detect a great deal of magical energy emanating from that sword and based on what it's telling me...ah man! It's in old style! Let me translate it into a more modern dialect." Emelita interjected with an uncharacteristically somber tone before learning of the translation's speech and she began to whine when she learned of the description of the magic she sensed from Filia's sword.

"_That filthy hypocrite. She calls me out for relying on magic as a crutch and I find she has been using a magic sword to augment her strength? How dare she!_"

"Let's see: With this sword in hand and brought into conflict against another, this sword will copy the strength of your opponent and will add it to your own."

"Copy the opponent's strength? Wait. The reason she's so strong is because she basically stole it from other people!? This makes me question how strong she really is if she's having magic augment her."

"I would not discount her so quickly. Even without that magic supporting her, she is remarkably talented. But we should end this council; it's getting late and we should rest for tomorrow."

"Agreed."

"If you'll come with me Aqua Heart, I'll bring you to our main house. I hope you don't mind the fact that there's only one room for sleeping, which we all share, aside from Paraskevas and Gaptahl." Serawi gently says this as she gets up from where she was sitting and walks toward the exit and beckons Karen to follow.

Hearing this piece of news from Serawi doesn't exactly fill Karen's mood with absolute joy which is obvious in her expression since she has never truly slept in the same room with other people before but she does her utmost to hide the unease since Serawi is genuinely offering this despite them being obviously rather taxed already "I see. And thanks for the offer, but I don't exactly need sleep. It's an innate power of Console Patron Units like me. Hunger, dehydration, sleep, even aging. I'm immune to them though my mind hasn't perfectly adjusted to that. So don't feel so concerned about tending to my needs. So please, focus on yourselves." Karen took her time to gently get this across to Serawi since she didn't want to sound standoffish or worse: rude.

"I see. If I may say: I'm a little envious."

"It's not. Trust me. But come on, let's get this out of the way. The sun's beginning to set."


End file.
